All Press Releases

The Volkswagen Group has brought the 2018 fiscal year to a successful conclusion. Based on sales revenue of EUR 235.8 billion – a rise of EUR 6.3 billion – the operating profit before special items of EUR 17.1 (17.0) billion was on a level with the previous year. At 7.3 percent (7.4 percent), the operating return on sales before special items was at the upper end of the target range set for 2018. The operating profit stood at EUR 13.9 (13.8) billion; as in the previous year, the figure was negatively impacted by special items of EUR 3.2 (3.2) billion in connection with the diesel issue. Net liquidity in the Automobile Division was again robust, at EUR 19.4 (22.4) billion. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board propose an increase in dividend to EUR 4.80 (3.90) per ordinary share and EUR 4.86 (3.96) per preferred share.

TRATON SE maintained its growth path in 2018. The Group sold 233,000 vehicles of the MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brands, exceeding the prior-year figure by 14%. This is the highest number since the Group was established in 2015. This positive development was driven partly by continuing robust growth in Europe and sharply rising demand in Brazil. Growth was very dynamic in the first six months of 2018, but weakened slightly in the second half the year, coming in at 10% in the fourth quarter of 2018. “We fully achieved our growth targets,” said Andreas Renschler, TRATON CEO and member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. “This success was driven by outstanding products, good customer proximity, a strong team, and a continued stable and attractive market overall.”

The EMS Audit Report 2018 is a report on a special audit of the Environmental Management System that was conducted in 2018. This audit is a requirement arising from Volkswagen's agreements with the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which came into force in 2017. The auditors did not find any deviations at any of the audited companies but made some suggestions for improvement.

The Volkswagen Group made a solid start to the new year, delivering 882,200 vehicles to customers worldwide in January, 1.8 percent down on the same month last year. At the same time, the Group succeeded in winning market shares in a broadly declining world market. This was the case in Europe, South America and Asia/Pacific. Particularly in the largest single market of China, the Group was not entirely immune to the persistent weakness in the overall market, however, with deliveries only down 2.9 percent, it put on a far better performance than the market as a whole. Dr. Christian Dahlheim, Head of Volkswagen Group Sales, commented: “The Volkswagen Group made a solid start to the new year with relatively stable delivery figures. The fact that we won market shares in a broadly declining overall world market is a good result. It shows the strength of our brands and their products. The persistently volatile geopolitical environment and looming economic risks in individual markets will have a decisive impact on our business this year, and I believe China and Brexit will present us with special challenges, particularly in the first few months of the year.”

Since January 1, 2019, the Volkswagen Group has had a new brand. With the realignment of Volkswagen Group Components, the Group is reinforcing its in-house supplier of components including engines, gearboxes, electric drive systems, steering systems and seats – at the same time as consistently leveraging synergy effects. 80,000 Group employees at 61 components plants throughout the world develop and produce vehicle components. Right from the start, the units will therefore be among the world’s largest automotive industry suppliers.

With 10.83 million vehicles delivered throughout the world, 0.9 percent more than in 2017, the Volkswagen Group set an all-time record. In many markets of the world, South America, Europe, the USA and China, both the deliveries and in some cases the market shares of the Volkswagen Group grew. With successful product offensives, the Group brands were able to more than compensate for the risks in individual regions such as the general economic uncertainty in China and the adverse effects of the WLTP changeover in Europe. Especially the Group’s new SUV models were strong growth drivers. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Škoda, Seat, Porsche and Lamborghini brands all set new deliveries records. Dr. Christian Dahlheim, Head of Volkswagen Group Sales: “Even though setting new records is no longer our primary goal, we are very pleased about this great result. Especially in the second half, things were not easy for us in 2018. It was possible to achieve this new deliveries record for the Group thanks to a combination of outstanding products and the high level of trust placed in us by our customers. In view of volatile geopolitical developments, our business will face an equally strong headwind in 2019. In my opinion, the Volkswagen Group is well-positioned to meet the upcoming challenges. We face the future with optimism.”

The Volkswagen Group has presented the Education Award to five outstanding education projects. An international jury comprising over 100 members selected the best projects in the categories of digital learning formats in vocational training, digital learning formats in further education, technical transformation and cultural transformation. The Volkswagen Board Member for Human Resources, Gunnar Kilian, said: “The transformation of the automotive industry will only succeed if workforce qualification is precisely tailored to the new tasks – not just in terms of content, but also as regards methods. Volkswagen has top know-how in skills development, and our experts continue to work hard on cutting-edge projects. The Award is an incentive to deliver first-rate qualification for the transformation. And it underscores that Volkswagen continues to give high priority to modern, efficient and sustainable knowledge transfer.”