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Deliveries, sales revenue and result once again improved in first quarter of 2018
Brand grows throughout the world; growth in Germany, too
Pace of model and innovation offensive stepped up
Forecast for 2018 as a whole confirmed
Group and brand CEO Diess: “We are making good progress, in line with our plans, on our way to making Volkswagen fit for the future of mobility.”

The Volkswagen brand continues to grow. In the first quarter of 2018, there were once again increases in deliveries, sales revenue and the result. With more than 1.5 million vehicles delivered (+5.9 percent), the brand recorded the best first quarter in its history. Sales revenue grew by 5.9 percent to €20.1 billion. Compared with the strong first quarter of the previous year, the operating result improved by 1.2 percent to €879 million. Despite considerable expenditure for the ongoing model offensive, Volkswagen recorded a return on sales of 4.4 percent (previous year: 4.6 percent).

“In the first quarter, we were able to continue the dynamic development of the previous year without any interruption,” said Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, who is now also CEO of the Volkswagen Group. “Our new models are being outstandingly well-received by customers, our efficiency measures are taking effect and we are on the way to gaining new strength in the regions. Our long-term goal is clear: we want to make Volkswagen fit for the future of mobility. We are making good progress in these efforts in line with our plans.”

Model offensive and cost discipline are the earnings drivers

The upward trend is broad-based. In the first three months of the year, Volkswagen was able to deliver significantly more vehicles than in the previous year in all regions of the world. In Brazil, deliveries rose by 4 percent, in China by 8.6 percent and in the USA by as much as 10 percent. Deliveries also grew in Germany. In its domestic market, Volkswagen boosted deliveries by 7.3 percent and regained market shares in key segments. Especially the newly introduced SUV’s are making for extremely dynamic developments throughout the world. With the T-Roc, the Tiguan Allspace, the Teramont and the Atlas, the brand now offers four new SUVs that were not available a year ago.

The growing volume of deliveries also had a positive effect on the sales revenue and operating result of the brand. In addition, Volkswagen was able to further improve product costs. Despite the ongoing model offensive, fixed costs remained largely stable in the first quarter of 2018 compared with the previous year. On the other hand, the improvement in the result was offset by growing expenditure for the upcoming electric offensive. The brand forged ahead with the implementation of this offensive in the first three months of the year.

Dr. Arno Antlitz, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for Finance, said: “The Volkswagen brand started the new year with a healthy result. We are keeping costs under control and making good progress with improving productivity. We will pursue this approach consistently over the next few months. At the same time, we will continue to invest strongly in the future of the brand, especially in the major model and innovation offensive.”

Sustained positive business developments expected

Over the next few months, the brand expects positive business developments to continue. In the 2018 financial year, deliveries, sales revenue and the operating result will continue to rise, among other things as a result of the further implementation of the pact for the future and the turnaround programs in the regions. Volkswagen confirmed its return forecast unchanged. Despite significantly higher expenditure in areas including the changeover to the new WTLP consumption standard, the achievement of the CO2 fleet targets and the run-up stage of the electric offensive, an operating return in the target corridor between 4.0 and 5.0 percent is aimed for in the current financial year.

The brand continues to step up the pace of its major model and innovation offensive. With the new Tourag and the Jetta for the USA, Volkswagen has already presented two new models which are to be launched in the near future. In addition, the new mid-size sedan Virtus was launched recently in Brazil and has attracted considerable attention from customers. At the end of the year, Volkswagen will enter an entirely new segment with the T-Cross. In addition, four new SUVs especially for the Chinese market are planned this year.

In the course of its TRANSFORM 2025+ strategy, the brand will renew its entire model range by 2020 as well as expanding it in key segments. From 2020, the newly developed I.D. family will start the brand’s major electric offensive.

Article source: www.volkswagen-media-services.com

Spotlight: Pikes Peak super sports car to be unveiled
Record attempt on June 24th: Volkswagen competes in legendary American hill climb race with an all-electric racing car

It is the start of a new era in motorsport for Volkswagen – and one thing is already certain: This Volkswagen is set to electrify its public. When the I.D. R Pikes Peak is presented to the public on the coming Sunday, 22 April, it will be Volkswagen’s first fully-electric racing car. Lightweight construction and aerodynamic perfection contribute to an exciting design, which houses a powerful electric power unit. The I.D. R Pikes Peak will first take its place under the spotlight of the international media at the racetrack in Alés, France – home of world-class driver Romain Dumas (F), who will be at the wheel for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb – before the official test programme gets underway just one day later.
Key date, 24 June 2018 – one goal: Break the record for electric racing cars.

The event on Pikes Peak, reverently known as the “Race to the Clouds”, starts at 2,862 metres and finishes at 4,302 metres above sea level. For more than 100 years, it has been the most spectacular hill climb in the world of motor racing. Volkswagen took part with an iconic and spectacular twin-engine Golf in 1987 but came up just short of victory. The goal is now to settle that score by setting a new record for electric cars.

Article source: www.volkswagen-media-services.com

The Touran was launched in March 2003
Around 2.3 million in sales of Volkswagen Touran over 15 years

15 years ago – in March 2003 – Volkswagen launched the first Touran on the market. Since then, over three model generations, the MPV has developed into a best-selling vehicle and a market leader in its segment in Europe. Over the past 15 years, around 2.3 million new car buyers have chosen the MPV, which is offered as a five- or seven-seater. Today's Touran can impress with intelligent flexibility, a family-friendly character and innovative features, especially in driver assistance and infotainment.

After its launch in 2003, the MPV was given a comprehensive facelift in November 2006 including the first semi-automatic assistance system (Park Assist). In 2010, Volkswagen adapted the Touran – whose sales had already reached 1.13 million units – to the brand's new design DNA and updated its technologies.

After delivering a total of 1.9 million units, Volkswagen developed a completely new generation of the Touran and introduced it in a world premiere in February 2015. This was the first time that the Touran was based on the new 'modular transverse matrix' (MQB), and it was now 130 mm longer and up to 62 kilograms lighter. An entire armada of progressive assistance systems made their way into the compact Volkswagen MPV, as did a new level of connectivity. These included the optional 'Car-Net Cam Connect', which parents could use to keep an eye on their children via camera and see on the infotainment system monitor whether everything was all right in the rear seating area. The Touran offers another sensible option: electronic voice amplification. It amplifies passengers' voices via a microphone, and their speech is output over the vehicle's loudspeakers. This can assure good listening comprehension even across three rows of seats.

The current generation also stands out with one of the largest luggage compartments in its class (up to 834 litres with five people on-board), an ISOFIX child seat system for the rear seats and a 3-zone automatic air conditioner (Climatronic; standard in Highline). So, the Touran is also an ideal choice today as one of the best thought-out family cars of its time.

Article source: www.volkswagen-media-services.com

The ASG is an automated manual transmission that combines excellent fuel economy with driving ease.

Just like with a conventional automatic transmission, gears can be changed automatically by switching the gear lever to the drive (D) position, but it’s also possible to change gears manually by moving the gear to the “+”or “-“ positions.

When the drive position is selected, the gear change timings will depend on driving style and acceleration speed. Because the ASG is a single-clutch gearbox (just like a manual gearbox), torque to the driving wheels must be interrupted during a gear change. This is most noticeable during maximum acceleration: a lighter throttle load produces a smoother shift.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

The parking assistant celebrates its premiere in 2006, and today it is available in numerous Volkswagen brand models
Nearly perfect parking with the help of Park Assist 3.0

The everyday search for parking places takes a toll on time and nerves. When an available parking place is sighted, Volkswagen has been assisting drivers for around 20 years by implementing a parking process that incurs the least possible stress. That is because available assistance systems have been continuously improved over the years. The acoustic warning followed visual assistance. Twelve years ago, Volkswagen was the world's first carmaker to offer a parking assistant with automatic steering. In the latest generation, a Volkswagen can be made to steer into the smallest of parking spaces, either longitudinal or perpendicular, and it automatically brakes in an emergency situation. However, today’s Park Assist is only one of many different systems which can be found in Volkswagen models for assisting drivers in parking.

In 1997, it beeped for the first time at Volkswagen – in a Golf Mk 4. Four ultrasonic sensors in the rear bumper enabled the first park distance control system. In 2005, Volkswagen doubled the number of sensors in the Passat – two times four sensors. The Passat B5 then had audible park distance control at both the front and rear. Volkswagen took the next step with its Optical Parking System (OPS) in 2010. The bars shown on the display visualised the distances to obstacles around the vehicle for the driver when manoeuvring. Just two years later, a 360-degree OPS system was installed in the Golf for the first time; it could show obstacles all around the vehicle.

Twelve years ago, Volkswagen showed a pioneering spirit one more time. The brand was the first carmaker to implement park assist steering, and this represented the beginning of making the lives of Volkswagen customers safer and more convenient. The innovative system helps the driver by autonomously executing optimal steering movements to arrive at an ideal position when parking. Park Assist scans the parking space, assigns a starting position and makes the steering movements fully automatically – the driver only needs to accelerate and brake. Over the course of the years, Park Assist has continually become more intelligent based on systematic advances in its development, and it can now park in the tightest of parking spaces, which drivers could hardly steer into without the system.

Just four years after the system’s world premiere, the first fundamental “2.0” update arrived: two-stage parking manoeuvres became multi-stage. In addition, the original requirement of “vehicle length plus 1.40 metres” has been significantly reduced to a mere “90 centimetres plus vehicle length”. Just two years later, perpendicular parking was added. Thanks to increasingly more complex algorithms, it was possible to utilise a total of twelve ultrasonic sensors on the vehicle to scan the surroundings and compute the manoeuvres more precisely.

In the latest 3.0 generation introduced in 2015, practically no wishes are left unfulfilled. Park Assist only needs 80 centimetres of extra space and can park in parking spaces that most car drivers would rather skip altogether. And it is now even possible to park in a perpendicular parking space in a forward direction. Emergency braking is also available today. This nearly eliminates parking collisions within the system limits or at least minimises their damage.

At a glance – the development of systems for safe and reliable parking
1997 – First park distance control with four ultrasonic sensors in the rear bumper
2005 – Park distance control, front and rear
2006 – World's first park assist steering (Park Assist)
2010 – Optical Parking System (OPS)
2010 – Park Assist 2.0
2012 – 360-degree OPS
2012 – Park Assist 2.0 with perpendicular parking
2015 – Park Assist 3.0

Article source: www.volkswagen-media-services.com

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