VW – Page 3375 – I wish I had more to offer

New segment for green bonds

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Milan is mobile

“If the son drives up with the Porsche, he is not a successor”

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Volkswagen Touareg is the 30 millionth Volkswagen brand delivery milestone in China

The Volkswagen brand has sold 30 million vehicles in China – the jubilee model is a Touareg

Volkswagen Brand sets record in China, with 30 millionth delivery this November – a Touareg
Stephan Wöllenstein: “This is a unique occasion, and a unique vote of confidence from all our Chinese customers over the years.”
Volkswagen’s product offensive to continue with introduction of 5 new models in 2019 alone; NEV offering to double

GUANGZHOU, China, 20-Nov-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Volkswagen is speeding up its activities in China, re-energizing the brand under its Move Forward initiative. The brand’s product portfolio was strengthened with no less than 9 new models in 2018. Speaking at Auto Guangzhou 2018, Stephan Wöllenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Brand China, said, “We reached a fantastic milestone this November, as we delivered the 30 millionth Volkswagen – a Touareg – to a customer in China. And to remain the number one choice for Chinese car buyers, as we have been for many years, our product offensive will continue in 2019.”

As one of the pioneering automotive brands in China, Volkswagen delivered some 2,000 cars to Chinese customers in 1985, in a market that totalled 5,100 vehicles. By 1992, cumulative Volkswagen China deliveries had reached 100,000, and in 1997 Volkswagen’s total number of customers exceeded one million. The 5 and 10 millionth customers were greeted in 2006 and 2011, respectively, while in 2015 the 20 millionth Volkswagen found its way to China’s roads. Just three years later, in 2018, another 10 million Volkswagen vehicles have been delivered: in November, the 30 millionth Chinese car buyer chose a Volkswagen. “This is a unique occasion, and a unique vote of confidence from all our Chinese customers over the years,” said Wöllenstein.

With its joint venture partners, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC VOLKSWAGEN, the brand is committed to providing more choice to meet the varying needs of Chinese consumers. Volkswagen announced the introduction of another 5 models in 2019, including 3 SUVs. Continued Wöllenstein, “Together with our joint ventures, we also will step up our efforts with our NEV offensive in 2019 – introducing 3 locally-produced battery-electric versions of well-known Volkswagen models. We will also introduce one more locally-produced PHEV and the Touareg PHEV from Volkswagen Import.”

SOURCE: Volkswagen AG

MEDIA CONTACT

Peik von Bestenbostel
Head of Volkswagen Communications
Phone: +49 (0) 5361 / 9-26655
Email: peik.bestenbostel@volkswagen.de

SEAT named leader in digital transformation by Financial Times study

The report by the Financial Times singles out 100 leading European companies in the field of digitalisation
The selected companies stand out for their ability to adapt to new technologies in an innovative way
SEAT, recognised for tackling digital challenges in manufacturing

MARTORELL, 23-Nov-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — SEAT has been acknowledged as a leader in digital transformation by a study carried out by the prestigious British daily the Financial Times. This publication, together with Google, Nesta and The Innovation Foundation, selected 100 organisations, people and companies from 4,000 entries, that are spearheading digital transformation in Europe, a key factor in economic growth, job creation and entering new markets. In recognising SEAT, the Financial Times cited the Company’s open innovation programme at its flagship plant in Martorell, to help tackle digital challenges in manufacturing.

SEAT President Luca de Meo stated that “digitalisation is a strategic priority. SEAT is one of the companies that invests the most in R&D in Spain, and has concentrated its efforts on developing new technologies in order to boost productivity and diversify its business. We are working on becoming a benchmark in future mobility. Having been selected by the Financial Times as one of the 100 leading European companies in digital transformation is a significant recognition of the efforts made by the company and the entire team.”

Industry 4.0, key to SEAT’s digitalisation

SEAT is promoting an ambitious transformation process whereby all of its production activities are being adapted to the digital environment with the most disruptive technologies on the market. The Spanish carmaker is developing and applying digital tools and solutions aimed at vehicle production that enable the company to gain in efficiency, flexibility and agility. For example, by implementing artificial intelligence, the use of collaborative robots as well as virtual reality and big data in the Martorell factory to revolutionise vehicle design and production.

Furthermore, SEAT has a biomechanical laboratory which stands out for its contribution to developing more ergonomic workstations. This one-of-a-kind facility in Spain features more than 20 cameras that process workers’ musculoskeletal characteristics in 3D with the aim of preventing pathologies resulting from the production process as well as improving rehabilitation in the event of injuries. In addition, SEAT has implemented training programmes using an innovative method that explains industrial transformation in a way that is easy, interactive and digital. Since the programme began, more than 2.500 employees have attended the courses.

Designing future mobility

In the framework of the Easy Mobility strategy, SEAT’s goal is to build a portfolio of products and services to offer customers new urban mobility solutions. In this sense, SEAT created Metropolis:Lab Barcelona in 2017, a centre of excellence dedicated to researching and developing new urban mobility solutions which is integrated in the Volkswagen Group’s IT Lab network. This year the company launched XMOBA to test and commercialise mobility services. In addition, SEAT acquired Respiro, a pioneering hourly car sharing service in Spain.

Last week at the Smart City Expo World Congress, SEAT presented its latest developments that will contribute to boosting its global transition towards smarter, more sustainable mobility. The initiatives developed by the SEAT Metropolis:Lab include ride-sharing and Bus on Demand, which XMOBA is going to roll out as a pilot test in 2019. Other novelties included the evolution of the SEAT Cristobal concept car, now with 5G technology; the new socially responsible navigation project together with Waze and the Barcelona City Council; and the brand’s first vehicle in its urban micromobility strategy, the SEAT eXS powered by Segway.

SEAT Communications

Cristina Vall-Losada
Head of Corporate Communications
T / +34 93 708 53 78
M/ +34 646 295 296
cristina.vall-llosada@seat.es

Aurora Vidal
International Corporate Communications
T / +34 93 708 40 05
M/ +34 608 483 266
aurora.vidal@seat.es

SOURCE: SEAT, S.A.

The Noble M500 is a new, ‘user-friendly’ British supercar – Top Gear

Well this is exciting. Noble has brought a new car to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and it’s a brand new model that’ll sit below the M600 in both power and price. It’s the less scary, more affordable one. ‘Model’ is very much the key word for now, though. “I first sketched it six months ago,”… Continue reading The Noble M500 is a new, ‘user-friendly’ British supercar – Top Gear

Hubject announces partnership with MOEV

Two LA-Based Companies Work to End Electric Vehicle Charging Challenges SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (November 13, 2018) – Hubject, the globally recognized leader in electric vehicle (EV) interoperability, has partnered with MOEV, Inc., an EV charger and cloud-based energy management software provider. The two companies will work together to offer seamless charging to EV drivers. “We… Continue reading Hubject announces partnership with MOEV

VW to invest $50B in electric and autonomous tech

VW to invest $50B in electric and autonomous techFrankfurt, Germany – Volkswagen AG, which is negotiating investments and tie-ups with Ford Motor Co., intends to invest 44 billion euros ($50 billion) in the electric and autonomous car technologies expected to reshape the industry. The German carmaker also said it would make battery-powered vehicles more accessible to mass-market auto buyers by selling its new I.D. compact for about what a Golf diesel costs.
The investment plans for the next five years aim to make Volkswagen “a worldwide supplier of sustainable mobility,” Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said Friday. He added that the company is in talks with Ford Motor Co. about possible cooperation in making light commercial vehicles.
The Detroit News has previously reported on those talks on global partnerships between Volkswagen and Ford, as well as negotiations with Volkswagen to invest potentially more than $1 billion in Argo AI, the robotics and technology company majority-owned by Ford. Volkswagen also is considering a separate investment in Ford’s in-house autonomous vehicle business.
Established automakers as well as several U.S. startups are rolling out electric models to compete with Tesla , currently the market leader. Auto companies need electrics to meet new environmental standards in many countries.
In Europe, manufacturers need to sell more battery-powered cars to meet tougher EU limits on carbon dioxide emissions that come into force 2021 and aim to fight global warming. Automakers like Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW risk penalties of thousands of euros per vehicle if they can’t meet requirements for lower average emissions.
Authorities in China, where Volkswagen gets much of its profit, have also mandated a bigger share of electrics and hybrids.
Yet right now, such vehicles remain a niche market due to higher price and lack of places to charge. Battery-only vehicles were only 0.6 percent of the market in the European Union last year. They are running from 1 to 2 percent of U.S. new-vehicle sales so far this year.
Major new models unveiled in recent weeks from Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen’s Audi brand have been expensive SUVs; Audi’s e-tron starts at a German price of 80,000 euros. The starting price for Tesla’s Model X is around $80,700 while the Model S starts around $74,500.
VW’s upcoming I.D. compact could take mass-market buyers from Tesla’s Model 3, a mass-market car with a base price of $35,000 before tax credits. In reality, though, you can’t order one yet for less than $46,000.
Poetsch said the I.D. compact would be about the cost of a Golf diesel today, which is priced at 23,875 euros in Germany, according to Volkswagen’s website, and goes up as options are added. The next model up the scale starts at 30,625 euros.
General Motors, Nissan and Mitsubishi already are selling mass-market electric vehicles, but they’re still more costly than cars with gasoline engines, and they haven’t sold in great numbers.
Higher cost is one reason consumers are not yet buying purely electric vehicles in large numbers. The lack of charging points is another, leaving many owners of electric vehicles to use them mainly in cities or for shorter trips. Volkswagen and other automakers are working together on building a freeway network of fast-charging stations to enable longer trips with battery powered cars.
Chinese automakers as well as U.S. startup companies also are getting into the electric car market. Rivian, a Detroit-area company, plans to unveil a high-end electric pickup and SUV later this month, to go on sale in late 2020. Lucid Motors, a Newark, California, startup whose leadership includes six former Tesla executives, plans to deliver its first cars in 2020 as well.
The shift to electric cars is a big one for a company the size of Volkswagen, which has over 600,000 employees and makes about 10 million vehicles a year.
It is converting three of its German plants from internal combustion to battery car production as it pivots away from diesel vehicles in the wake of its emissions scandal. It says it will increase the number of electric models from six now to more than 50 by 2025.
Ian Thiboudeau of The Detroit News contributed.
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Chinese company begins production of solid-state batteries, possibly for cars

Fisker solid state electrode material – from @henrikfisker
As scientists and companies around the world pour years and millions of dollars into solid-state batteries, many disagree on how soon they could make it into cars on the road.

Now the Chinese Xinhua news agency reports that a startup company in China, Qing Tao (Kunshan) Energy Development Company has begun production of solid-state batteries in the Chinese city of Kunshan.

According to Xinhua, the company has set up a solid-state battery production line capable of producing 100 megawatt-hours worth of batteries for a year, which it expects to expand to 700 megawatt-hours by 2020.

DON'T MISS: Fisker gets Caterpillar investment for solid-state battery tech

The plant reportedly cost $144 million.

Solid-state batteries are expected to be the next major technological breakthrough for electric cars because they can be lighter, longer-lasting, and safer than today's batteries which use a flammable organic liquid lithium salt solution.

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It's not clear, given Qing Tao's modest production, whether its batteries are destined for electric cars or for consumer electronics such as laptops or cell phones.

Qing Tao claims its batteries have an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, about 30 to 40 percent higher than today's commercial automotive lithium-ion batteries.

READ THIS: VW confirms it’s planning for solid-state batteries by 2025

Other companies staking early claims to building solid-state batteries include Fisker Inc., which says it will have solid-state batteries in its first car by 2022 (a couple of years after it says the car will go on sale), and British vacuum-cleaner and electronics company Dyson, which is reportedly working on its own electric car.

Volkswagen also says it plans to have solid-state batteries in production for its cars, in relatively low numbers, around 2025.

Other battery makers such as Panasonic, the world's largest producer of lithium-ion batteries, say solid-state batteries won't make it onto the road until closer to 2030.

Volkswagen to boost marketing efficiency

In future, Volkswagen will steer its marketing activities via three lead agencies which will operate four new creative powerhouses in the brand’s key regions. By 2020, Volkswagen brand intends to improve marketing efficiency by about 30 percent with a media budget remaining stable at €1.5 billion Digital share of media mix to grow to almost… Continue reading Volkswagen to boost marketing efficiency