VW commits to electric future 10 | 05 | 2017

    VOLKSWAGEN “INTENDS TO be the No. 1 in e-mobility by 2025," but the company has also stressed that diesel will not go away as part of that plan. The statements came from VW Group boss Matthias Muller (pictured) at the Group's Annual General Meeting.

    The group will also invest around £7.5 billion into developing electric and alternative drivetrain cars in the next five years.

    VW has already invested £2.5bn in developing alternative drive technology over the past five years.

    “This is how we will be rolling out more than 10 new electrified models by the end of 2018,” Muller said. “By 2025, we will be adding more than 30 more BEVs (battery-electric vehicles).”

    “Volkswagen is becoming faster, more focused and more customer-driven. We are transforming Volkswagen from an automaker into a globally leading mobility provider.”

    But while Muller believes “the future is electric”, he said that conventional petrol and diesel-engined cars remain hugely important to the Group.

    Related: Record profits for VW despite Dieselgate

    "Conventional engines will remain indispensable for the foreseeable future," he said. "The internal combustion engine primarily is part of the solution, not part of the problem.

    “Diesel will remain indispensable for the foreseeable future. This applies also and especially to the Euro 6 diesel, despite the current heated debate.

    “The internal combustion engine is primarily part of the solution, not part of the problem. 124 years after it was invented, the diesel engine still has plenty of potential, and we intend to exploit that potential.

    “By 2020, we will have made our internal combustion engines between 10 and 15% more efficient, and therefore also cleaner. This will help protect the environment and conserve resources.”

    Muller’s forecast that VW will dominate become e-mobility world No1 by 2025 comes less than a week after boss Herbert Diess said his VW is targeting one million electric car sales within eight years, alongside improvements in profit and productivity.

    Related: 2017 VW Touareg

    Today Diess, also speaking at the brand's annual press conference, said the intention is for VW to become the "global market leader in e-mobility" by 2025.

    That prediction will set VW head-to-head with electric car maker Tesla. The Californian-based company, which last year sold fewer than 80,000 units, has also pledged to hit the 1m mark, but by 2020, five years before VW.

    The German car giant — focusing on reinventing itself in the wake of the Dieselgate horror, which cost the company billions of pounds — has what it called "practical insights into the future of e-mobility" with concept cars such as the I.D., the I.D. Buzz and the I.D. Crozz.

    All are based on the MEB common electric vehicle platform which will be found beneath the majority of the Group's future battery-powered models.

    As you would expect, traditional combustion engine cars remain big business; a VW Group SUV product offensive, which will deliver 19 new or updated models, is on target to complete soon.

    VW’s operating profit for this year has been readjusted from €1.9bn to €1.6bn, which is still some way ahead of Tesla.  

    Related: £3k saving on VW Golf GTE

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    Jim McGill

     

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