»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp

? CEO Prof. Dr. Winterkorn: ¡°We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp¡¯s automotive history.¡±

? Campaign gets underway with Electric-up!¹ and e-Golf² 

? Over €18 billion to be spent on new vehicles, technologies and plants up to 2018

? Over 500,000 employees at more than 3,600 dealerships in 2018 

? Vehicle deliveries in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp targeted to top 3.5 million for first time in 2014

Wolfsburg / , April 19, 2014 ¨C ¡°The Volkswagen Group is once again assuming a pioneering role in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp and launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp¡¯s automotive history¡±, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, announced on the eve of the Auto »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp motor show in Beijing. The initiative gets underway with the launch this year of the Volkswagen brand¡¯s Electric up!¹ and e-Golf² models.

While the Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid³ is already in the showrooms in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp, the Group will be launching two further innovative plug-in hybrid vehicles there next year with the Audi A3 e-tron⁴ and the Golf GTE⁵. Starting in 2016, this will be followed by two models developed specially for the Chinese market: These are the Audi A6 and a new mid-size limousine from the Volkswagen brand, both plug-in hybrids which are being developed together with the joint venture partners FAW Volkswagen and Shanghai Volkswagen and will be produced locally. Furthermore, the Bentley Hybrid Concept opens a window on the broad-ranging potential of hybrid technology.

Winterkorn went on to say. ¡°All these vehicles are highly efficient and eco-friendly. And at the same time they offer lots of driving pleasure. That is exactly what people all over the world and here in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp expect of the Volkswagen Group. Thanks to the modular strategy, which is also being implemented at our Chinese factories, we can electrify nearly every model in our range: From small cars to large sedans, from pure electric drives to plug-in hybrids.¡±

As a result, the Volkswagen Group is making its Chinese vehicle fleet ever more efficient. 17 Group models already meet the updated legal requirements set by the Chinese authorities to qualify as ¡®especially energy-efficient vehicles¡¯. ¡°Here in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp, we are now setting out on the road to a future of emission-free mobility,¡± Winterkorn added.

Investments remain at record level

To that end, the two joint venture partners FAW Volkswagen and Shanghai Volkswagen are investing more than ever before in state-of-the-art vehicles and drives, green technologies and resource-efficient plants. €18.2 billion will be invested up to 2018. As Winterkorn commented: ¡°Our team of over 2,700 engineers in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp and our partners are working together on pioneering technologies, and we are banking on »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp¡¯s innovative power.¡± The company will continue on its growth trajectory. Over the coming years, more than 20,000 new skilled jobs will be created in »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp alone.

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