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• Strategic reorientation of the brand towards electric mobility is being rigorously pursued
• The first model from the I.D. Family for the US market will be an SUV
• New electronics architecture forms the basis for digital services that enhance everyday driving

At the Los Angeles Auto Show Volkswagen is offering visitors a look at the future of its electric mobility campaign. Volkswagen is presenting three show cars at the Californian show – the compact I.D., the spacious I.D. BUZZ and the elegant I.D.CROZZ SUV. They represent a completely new vehicle architecture that has been consistently designed for electric drive systems. By 2025 the Volkswagen brand plans to sell one million electric vehicles per year and is aiming to be the market leader in electric mobility. The first model from the all-electric I.D. Family for Europe will be a compact model, while in the USA the first model will be an SUV.

"Cars stand for freedom and individuality", says Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales. "The mistakes of the past have speeded up many things at Volkswagen and a real opportunity arises from the crisis. We believe in electric mobility and in a great future for the automobile. It is the most important means of transport in the USA accounting for almost 80 per cent of passenger kilometers travelled."

The Volkswagen brand will meet the challenges of the future with the I.D. models. They are based on the all-electric architecture that will be used group-wide. The new e-vehicles offer zero-emission long-distance travel, fast charging capability and spacious, flexible interiors. "The special features of our architecture are the new proportions with long wheelbases and short overhangs", says Christian Senger, head of the e-mobility product line at Volkswagen, and he adds: "This enables us to create a completely new space concept offering great flexibility for vehicle occupants and cargo."

Senger uses the example of the I.D. compact car to demonstrate how the size of the interior has grown: "It has the exterior dimensions of a Golf, but offers as much interior space as a Passat." This is possible thanks to a space-saving axially parallel e-drive and the high-voltage battery housed in the vehicle floor. This also applies to all other body shapes: "The all-electric architecture enables all kinds of different vehicle types to be developed, from the compact class to a seven-seater SUV."

In Los Angeles Stackmann revealed that in addition to the three models already presented (compact vehicle, SUV and MPV) new members will be added to the I.D. Family in future, including a saloon. Not only do all models have electric drive as a common feature, but also a new kind of connectivity. Instead of a large number of control units, in future the vehicle electrical system will have powerful central board computers with central software that can always be updated and upgraded. This new architecture is the basis for new digital in-car services that enhance everyday driving.

"The technological innovations we are currently working on will further increase the potential of the automobile", says Stackmann. "As well as a highly attractive design and numerous ways of meeting individual customer requirements, we will do everything we can to meet the growing demands that people make on sustainable mobility."

This starts with approaching customers in the right way. In a joint project with the US software group Adobe, potential customers are targeted in social networks and will then find information on the I.D. generation customized according to their profiles on a new Volkswagen internet portal.

Even before visiting a Volkswagen dealership customers can virtually experience the new electric vehicles, also in unusual places. Stackmann says: "We are cooperating with Microsoft here: augmented reality allows us to present the new car virtually in space or in a particular place with the help of HoloLens glasses, for example in cafés and shopping malls."

Further cooperation between Volkswagen and an IT group concerns infotainment being realized together with IBM called Predictive We Services. The basis for this is the digital assistant "Watson", who researches possible intermediate destinations for shopping or dinner online and is also able to book them with voice command during the journey.

"For more than 70 years Volkswagen's strength has been in making technologies and above all mobility accessible to people, regardless of the drive system. And that's the way it will be in the future. We make high quality electric mobility accessible to everyone", is how Jürgen Stackmann summarizes Volkswagen's targets.

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

The GTI for rallying: With the Polo GTI R5, Volkswagen returns to rallying under a new guise. In the second half of 2018, Volkswagen will make the 270 hp rally version of the Polo available to professional teams and aspiring drivers to enable them to compete in championships across the globe – including the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). A sketch of the car, which is based on the new Polo of the sixth generation, gives a foretaste of what’s to come.

“With the Polo GTI R5 we are hoping to transfer our expertise from four WRC titles to customer racing successfully, and offer a first-class racing machine for countless rally championships from national series to the WRC,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “Before the first race outing next year, we will subject the Polo GTI R5 to rigorous testing to make sure it is prepared for the extremely varied track conditions around the world.”

The development of the Polo GTI R5 has been in full swing since the start of the year, with initial test drives planned for this year. The experience gained from the successful WRC era is being incorporated directly: Volkswagen Motorsport Technical Director François-Xavier “FX” Demaison, father of the record winning Polo R WRC, is responsible for the development of the Polo GTI R5. And Gerard-Jan de Jongh also brings all his expertise as the senior project engineer. The Dutchman was previously Sébastien Ogier’s race engineer; Ogier won the drivers’ title with Volkswagen four times in a row.

Like the production model – which is due to be launched at the end of this year – the Polo GTI R5 has a powerful four-cylinder turbo engine with direct fuel injection. Other features include four-wheel drive, a sequential five-speed racing transmission and a comprehensive safety package, which are the most important features of the R5 category brought into being by the international automobile association, the FIA, in 2012. This gives privateers, teams and importers the opportunity to contest national, regional and international championships with cost-effective, powerful rally cars.

For Volkswagen Motorsport, the Polo GTI R5 represents another important milestone in their strategic realignment: After the successful introduction of the Golf GTI TCR, which has brought home wins and titles in numerous championships on the circuit since 2016, Volkswagen Motorsport is expanding its involvement in customer racing to rallying.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

The two latest Volkswagen models attain very good figures in all key test areas: ‘Adult Occupant’, ‘Child Occupant’, ‘Pedestrian’ and ‘Safety Assist’ (assistance systems). Dr Frank Welsch, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Development: "Volkswagen has been democratising safety for decades now. The outstanding Euro NCAP ratings for the Polo and T-Roc demonstrate once again how we are making maximum safety available to the drivers of mini and compact models as well." The Polo is available at prices from 12,975 euros, and the T-Roc from 20,390 euros (prices for Germany). The base versions of both the Polo and the T-Roc are already well equipped with six airbags, ESC including counter steering assistance, the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System and the Front Assist area monitoring system with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring. The T-Roc also comes with the Lane Assist lane keeping system as standard.

The Polo in Euro NCAP testing. The new Polo was tested in the class of ‘Superminis’ in the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). In the tests, Euro NCAP examines the loads to which ‘adult occupants’ are subjected in various accident scenarios. In this rating, the Polo attained a very good value of 96 per cent (out of a maximum of 100 per cent) in its class. The Polo also received an impressive rating in the side impact test that is challenging in vehicle design – because the crush zones on the sides are of course smaller than those at the front and rear.

Commenting on both the crash test with a side barrier and the crash test with a side pole, Euro NCAP noted that "the protection of all critical body areas is good; and the Polo attained maximum points". In the ‘Child Occupant’ protection test area, Euro NCAP rated the Polo with a figure of 85 per cent – a new top figure in its segment. In its competitive field, the new compact model also achieved exemplary figures in ‘Pedestrian’ protection (76 per cent) and in the area for assistance systems, ‘Safety Assist’ (59 per cent).

The T-Roc in Euro NCAP testing. At the same time, the first compact SUV from Volkswagen also achieved top figures: the new T-Roc. It was categorised in the segment of ‘Compact SUVs’, a class that also includes much larger SUVs. The results for the T-Roc were consistently impressive. Consider ‘Adult Occupant’: here, the SUV received a rating of 96 per cent.

The T-Roc also finished very well in the ‘Child Occupant’ protection rating with a result of 87 per cent. Here tests were performed with dummies in child seats. Consider the offset frontal crash and side impact: Euro NCAP commented: "In the Front Offset Test, protection of all critical body areas of the two child dummies was good. Similarly, protection of all critical body areas of the dummies was also good in the side impact test." Deformable front body elements and standard pedestrian detection also result in a figure of 79 per cent for ‘Pedestrian’ protection, which is remarkable in the competitive field. In addition, the new T-Roc attained top figures in the ‘Safety Assist' area for its assistance systems.

The European New Car Assessment Programme. Euro NCAP is an international and independent consortium of governments and non- governmental organisations. The headquarters of Euro NCAP are located in Brussels (Belgium). The stated mission of Euro NCAP is to provide automobile buyers with information on the safety of the most popular vehicles sold in Europe in a timely manner.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

A Volkswagen Winter Health Check can ensure your vehicle is ready to face the worst of the winter weather. Available from participating Volkswagen Retailers nationwide, the central element of this seasonal service is the Express Visual Check. This 34-point inspection is intended to help identify any parts that require work or replacement for safety reasons. It will also point out areas of the car that may require attention at a later date.

All of the information gleaned from the check is relayed to the customer via a simple ‘traffic light’ reporting system where green means an item is in full working order; yellow means it is safe and legal, but may need maintenance in the future; and red means it could require immediate attention.

Among items included in the Winter Health Check are tyre pressures and tyre tread depths, both of which are important for safe winter motoring thanks, of course, to the season’s often difficult driving conditions.

The Volkswagen Winter Health Check also sees the car washed and vacuumed so that it is returned in good cosmetic, as well as mechanical, condition. Customers can keep their car in tip-top shape through the worst of the weather, too, as they go home with a car care kit that comprises anti-freeze, de-icer, rubber care materials and a handy ice scraper.

Last year thousands of UK motorists helped to ensure their cars were prepared for winter by purchasing a check from their Volkswagen Retailer.

For more details of the Volkswagen Winter Health Check please visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk