Vehicle deliveries up 6.3 percent in first half year to 3.12 million vehicles June also excellent month with 534,000 vehicles handed over to customers Global upward trend in first six months
The Volkswagen brand continued on its growth path in the first half year, delivering 3.12 million vehicles in the first six months, an increase of 6.3 percent compared with the same period last year. Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales, commented: “We can look back on a successful first half year. The fact that the Volkswagen brand grew 20 percent in Brazil is worthy of special mention. In Europe, over 100,000 orders for the T-Roc have already been placed since the market launch. In Germany, the 5 models with the highest registrations in May all came from Volkswagen. The second half of the year will be significantly more challenging. We anticipate delays of certain model lines in Europe as a result of the switch to WLTP.”
Deliveries in the regions and markets in June developed as follows: 187,300 vehicles were handed over to customers in Europe, 14.5 percent more than in June 2017. This is in part due to developments in Sweden (+87 percent) this month, where the overall market exploded as a result of the new bonus-malus system for vehicle taxation which came into effect on July 1, i.e. higher taxation for conventional drive systems. In the UK (+10.2 percent), d mand for the Golf and Tiguan remained high. In addition, the new Polo put in a very satisfactory performance. In Austria (+14.5 percent), demand for the T-Roc and Polo NF remained at a high level. Western Europe grew 14.1 percent compared with the previous year.
55,200 vehicles were handed over to customers on the home market of Germany, an increase of 4.7 percent compared with the previous year. The new T-Roc enjoyed a very successful launch and is top of its segment, the Tiguan Allspace is also proving very popular.
26,700 vehicles were handed over to customers in Central and Eastern Europe, a rise of 16.8 percent compared with the previous year. At 8,900 units, deliveries in Russia were an encouraging 21.4 percent higher than last year. In particular, the Polo (+1,600 units) and Tiguan (+100 units) performed very well.
At 47,700 vehicles, deliveries in North America were slightly down on the figure for last June. This is in part attributable to the declining overall market in Mexico. In the USA, the SUV offensive again boosted performance, with deliveries rising 5.7 percent to 28,900 vehicles.
38,900 vehicles were handed over to customers in South America, an increase of 11.8 percent compared with the same month last year. 27,400 vehicles were delivered to customers in Brazil, the region’s largest market, corresponding to an increase of 27.9 percent compared with June 2017. Volkswagen is thus the second most successful car manufacturer in Brazil.
Volkswagen delivered a total of 228,500 vehicles in China, in line with the previous year. 40,800 units of the Lavida based on the new MQB were handed over to customers in June. The Bora, Lamando and Sagitar are also popular models. However, the lower import tariffs on cars which came into effect on July 1 impacted deliveries on the overall market in June/July because some consumers postponed their purchasing decisions.

7m 57.148s minutes – Volkswagen’s electric racing car sets a new overall record Romain Dumas betters Sébastien Loeb’s record by 16 seconds I.D. R Pikes Peak: the sporty forerunner to the new, fully-electric I.D. family
Volkswagen and the I.D. R Pikes Peak have made history at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Driving the 500-kW (680 PS) I.D. R Pikes Peak, Romain Dumas (F) defeated a field including cars with conventional drivetrain technology. In doing so, he not only broke the previous record for electric vehicles, but also bettered Sébastien Loeb’s (F) all-time record from 2013 – by a full 16 seconds. Dumas’ new record of 7m 57.148s minutes is now top of the list of Pikes Peak champions, which includes such acclaimed drivers as Loeb, Walter Röhrl (D), Michèle Mouton (F), Stig Blomqvist (S), Nobuhiro Tajima (J) and also Rod Millen and his son Rhys (both NZ).

“The I.D. R Pikes Peak is the sporty forerunner of Volkswagen’s I.D. family. Today, we saw what this technology is capable of”, said Dr. Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility for “Technical Development”. “Every Volkswagen employee can be extremely proud of today’s result. I congratulate the team from the bottom of my heart. With a combination of outstanding engineering skills, passion and commitment, the team has managed to create a fantastic racing car in just eight months. The Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak has now set the fastest time in the history of this hill climb, which spans more than 100 years – that speaks volumes for electric mobility.”
19.99 kilometres, 156 corners, just one attempt – and a successful one: Romain Dumas claimed his fourth overall victory at the iconic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which has now been held 96 times since 1916. With the I.D. R Pikes Peak, Volkswagen has created an extraordinary racing car, specifically tailored to the demands of the most famous of hill climbs: a combination of minimum weight, as much downforce as possible, and maximum power, designed to achieve the best possible performance. Including its battery cells, the I.D. R Pikes Peak weighs less than 1,100 kilograms. When evaluating performance, Volkswagen employed simulation software to calculate exactly how to achieve the optimum in energy demand and performance for the record attempt on Pikes Peak. In the matter of aerodynamics, the key was to compensate for the loss of downforce caused by the thin air on Pikes Peak. The result of this endeavour could be seen from afar: the flat, streamlined chassis and huge rear wing.
Volkswagen also struck out in a new direction when it came to charging technology – the goal being to charge the car as quickly as possible with minimum environmental impact. The time was defined by the regulations: In case of the race being suspended, it must be possible to completely charge the car in under 20 minutes. The electricity required was provided by generators at the foot of Pikes Peak.

Volkswagen develops electric race car
   • Electric prototype with the technology of tomorrow
   • Comeback for Volkswagen after more than 30 years

New challenge in motorsport with the technology of tomorrow: Volkswagen is developing an all-electric race car for the world's most renowned mountain race. The all-wheel drive prototype is scheduled to be at the start of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, USA on 24 June 2018. Its goal: to set a new record for electric cars at the finish line which is at 4,300 metres elevation. The new motorsport project is part of Volkswagen's process of transforming itself into the leading producer of electric vehicles. By 2025, the Volkswagen brand will already be offering 23 all-electric models.

"The Pikes Peak hill climb is one of the world's most renowned car races. It poses an enormous challenge and is therefore excellently suited to proving the capabilities of upcoming technologies," explains Dr Frank Welsch, Member of the Board responsible for Development. "Our electric race car will be equipped with innovative battery and drive technology. The extreme stress test on Pikes Peak will give us important findings that will benefit future development, and it will showcase our products and their technologies."

The vehicle is being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport in close cooperation with Technical Development in Wolfsburg. "The race on Pikes Peak is a new beginning for us. We are developing an all-electric race vehicle for the first time," explains Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director. "The project is also an important milestone in our new motorsport orientation. Our team is literally electrified about taking on this incredible challenge." Volkswagen Motorsport last participated in the Pikes Peak mountain race in 1987 with a spectacular twin-engined Golf which barely missed finishing. "It is high time for a rematch," continues Smeets.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – which insiders also call the ‘Race to the clouds' – has been run since 1916 in the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs. The race course is 19.99 kilometres long, and it climbs 1,440 metres to the summit at 4,300 metres above sea level. The current record in the class of electric prototypes is 8 minutes 57.118 seconds, which was set by US driver Rhys Millen (e0 PP100) in 2016.

Volkswagen re-energizes its push towards electrification in 2020 by debuting the I.D. Crozz II concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This high-style, compact crossover picks up on the cues from the earlier I.D. Crozz but gives it a more eye-catching two-tone color scheme of Hibiscus Red Metallic and a silver roof.

"Our task is to make modern technology available to many people. One thing is clear: The Golf of the future must once again be a people's car," Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said.
Aesthetically, the Crozz II is largely a rehash of the original concept. VW fits new headlights that appear much cleaner because they no longer have the louver-like strips of LEDS. The two-tone paint really helps the design, particularly from the rear three-quarters perspective where the silver roof provides an attractive contrast over the red body to make things pop more.

The Crozz II continues to have a weird door layout with conventional hinges at the front and sliding ones at the rear. With no B-pillar in the way, this provides plenty of room to see into the cabin. VW even imagines that an owner could open them via voice commands.
VW imagines the I.D. Crozz II with a pair of electric motors – one at each axle – with a total of 302 horsepower (225 kilowatts). The layout allows for all-wheel-drive traction and a top speed of 112 miles per hour (180 kilometers per hour). The company estimates the compact CUV could go 311 miles (500 kilometers on a charge).

The automaker also claims that the concept could handle as sharply as the Golf GTI because of parts like electronically controlled dampers and a new multi-link rear suspension setup.
VW’s first production I.D. electric model will be a five-door hatchback in 2020. A road-ready interpretation of the I.D. Buzz van concept would join the lineup in 2022. The third vehicle in the range would be a crossover that would likely take inspiration from the Crozz II.

The annual Startup night event was held in Germany which aims to explore young people's ideas in the field of mobility, energy, productivity and technology every year.
The 5th annual startup event in Germany is of a special attraction for young people as well as business-manufacturing companies which offer over 60 new ideas provided to Volkswagen.

More than 60 new ideas on mobility, technology and productivity related to vehicles and automobiles were introduced at the event. Volkswagen, as one of the main sponsors of the launch of this important event in Germany, has been supporting the projects ever since, in order to utilize the scientific and practical achievements of young companies. This partnership aims to utilize innovative ideas and turn them into practical projects that will ultimately develop the market for Volkswagen products.

"Volkswagen has created a win-win game to support new ideas, on the one hand, from the views and views of activists," Said one of Volkswagen's directors about the incentive to participate in the annual startup event. "It solves problems and solves the problems of the industry and, on the other, serves as a platform for application ideas," he added.

At the annual startup event, various groups of Volkswagen brands joined and they competed and challenged companies that had new ideas.

This year, the Volkswagen participated in the event held in Berlin, with the goal of "Sustainable support for commercialization and promoting fresh ideas."

Environmentally friendly vehicles are highly under spotlight in these years as the global climate change is winning the concerns of the public opinion across the globe.
Environmental health is a top priority for today's societies, and the world's top car makers have also come up with a massive supply of electric cars, to meet this need.

Most automobile companies are currently developing electric vehicles. With understanding the critical environmental conditions, Volkswagen also made the production of electric vehicles a priority.

A comprehensive look at Volkswagen's major future policies and strategies for the auto industry shows us reducing the diversity of models and simplifying the production process and leading the global market in the environment, using superior technology, intelligent sustainability and, ultimately, striving to provide a safe and comfortable way of life for its product owners, is one of the most important goals of this automaker.

According to estimates, 20 million electric cars by 2020, 100 million electric cars by 2030, and about 400 million bicycles, tricycles and electric bikes on the world's roads will be equipped with electric engines; this type of vehicles will play a key role in reducing fossil fuel consumption and Air pollution.

With a major shift in its approach to the auto industry, Volkswagen plans to make a major contribution to the auto markets. The decision is to make Volkswagen the lead EV producer in the world markets in less than ten years, by 2025. Moreover, Volkswagen wants to be the world's largest automaker by 2030.

In fact, based on this strategy, Volkswagen plans to spend about € 10 billion to provide self-driving cars and electric cars with high-capacity batteries.

In this regard, I.D. Buzz, the all-electric Volkswagen concept car unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show is a new model that will be based on the VW's current electric cars structure. Concept I.D. Buzz is designed as a four-wheel drive microbus for the future, and it has a number of advanced technologies underneath.

According to this strategy, the Volkswagen will have a special program for the production and supply of electric vehicles in the coming years, and will equip 25% of its products by 2020 with electric motors. If everything goes as expected, the final Buzz ID will probably be available in 2020.

• The new T-Roc (1): Volkswagen's fourth SUV
• Compact T-Roc with new, expressive design style, coupé-like roof section, strikingly wide front and sportily snappy proportions
• Extensive standard features, large array of driver assistance systems, latest infotainment generation with full connectivity and trendy bi-colour concept
• Dynamic ride characteristics, powerful engines and optionally 4Motion all-wheel drive

As part of the biggest model offensive in its history, Volkswagen is extending its model range by adding a compact-class crossover: The T-Roc. The new crossover from Volkswagen brings fresh impetus to the compact SUV class. It offers maximum personalisation, innovative digitalisation, perfect connectivity, leading-edge driver assistance systems, dynamic engines and above all modern, expressive design. A car that is just as much at home in the city as it is on rough terrain.
Dr Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management, said at the world premiere in Italy: "The T-Roc sets a new benchmark in the booming SUV segment. With its functionality, dynamic handling and technology, the T-Roc embodies all good Volkswagen qualities. It marks a milestone in our SUV offensive."

Volkswagen will start importing cars to Iran, returning to the resurgent Middle Eastern market after 17 years.
Volkswagen (VW) has signed an agreement with Iran's Mammut Khodro to import VW brand models.