Has the Automobile Come to a Turning Point? Challenges and Solutions from a Volkswagen Perspective

Authors

Prof. Dr. M. Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board, Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, represented by Dr. H.-J. Neußer, Member of the Board of Management Volkswagen Brand, Head of Group Powerrain Development, Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg

Year

2015

Print Info

Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Reihe 12, Nr. 783

Summary

The automobile has come to a turning point: CO₂ emission regurations, electric mobility and digitization are the industry's big challenges. The Volkswagen Group will shape this change under its own steam and steps on the accelerator in the relevant fields of innovation. Volkswagen expects the efficiency of internal combustion engines to increase by 10 to 15 percent until 2020. To this end, Volkswagen will introduce the innovative laser roughening technology into large-scare production, achieving a breakthrough in terms of reducing friction. At the same time, Volkswagen is fully committed to electric mobility: Even today, the Group has the largest and most diverse fleet of electric cars in the automotive world. The all-electric driving range wiil significantly increase in the future. Consequently, Volkswagen's medium-term-objective is to put an e-Golf with 300 km of range on the roads. The Group will also take the lead in the fields of digitization of cars, factories and sales, covering topics such as infotainment and sensor systems, big data and lndustry 4.0. Among other things, the upcoming Audi A8 will be able to drive autonomousry up to a speed of 60 km/h. Within this context it is essential for Volkswagen that the car of the future will not be a dull standardized unit. A car must continue to fascinate people: with its innovative features, with previously unknown efficiency and above all with genuine driving pleasure.