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The stopwatch says it all: the new Golf R “20 Years” is the fastest R model of all time on the German racetrack Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The anniversary vehicle with its increased power has bettered the previous lap record of a Golf R on the 20,832 km long racetrack once more by four seconds. The Golf R “20 Years” clocked an official lap time of 7:47.31 minutes. Thanks to its exclusive standard equipment, optimised driving dynamics and a standard output of 245 kW (333 PS), the Golf R “20 Years” offers significantly improved performance and guarantees an emotionally charged motorsport experience between the “Schwedenkreuz” and “Döttinger Höhe” track sections.

The sporty edition to celebrate the 20th anniversary delivers 10 kW more than the current Golf R production model. Equipped with this engine power, the Golf “20 Years” accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds; its electronically limited top speed is 270 km/h. Thanks to the significantly improved engine response, the increased power also makes itself noticeable in everyday situations such as overtaking manoeuvres. But it is not just the power of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine that makes the special-edition model the most dynamic Volkswagen R of all time on the Nordschleife. The clear increase in performance is also the result of the extensive standard equipment with technical highlights such as the R-Performance package, Driving Dynamics Manager and R-Performance Torque Vectoring. What could be a better place to test this combination than the Nürburgring- Nordschleife? The evolution of the powerful all-wheel-drive Golf R models can be impressively followed here over the last 20 years.

Touring car race driver and Volkswagen R development driver Benjamin Leuchter took on this task and tested the special-edition model on the legendary race track. He was also actively involved in the realisation of the R-Performance package for the Golf R “20 Years”. Alongside the regular “Comfort”, “Sport” and “Race” driving profiles, the special-edition model also comes as standard with the additional “Special” and “Drift” profiles. For driving on the Nordschleife, the race driver chose the “Special” driving profile, which was developed for this track. This profile gives the vehicle a set-up that meets the unique requirements of what is probably the most demanding race track in the world. This includes adjusting the shock absorbers to a more soft and comfortable setting due to the enormous loads at the maximum performance level when driving on such tracks.

As one of the 15 possible settings of the controlled shock absorbers, this guarantees optimum road contact on tracks with a large number of bumps, just like the Nürburgring. Together with the adapted steering wheel and drive settings, this makes it possible to take the large number of fast and medium-fast bends on the Nordschleife in an ideal way. In “Individual” mode of the Driving Dynamics Manager, it is also possible to manually adjust all parameters, such as R-Performance Torque Vectoring or the engine sound, and adapt them in line with personal preferences.

The timed lap of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife took place with a flying start in front of grandstand T13. The start and finish for the measurement are at the start and end of the grandstand – the 200 metres in between are not counted. Trust in the vehicle is not just the key to lap records, but also to safe driving pleasure. Staying on line at all times, the Golf R “20 Years” effortlessly mastered the fast changes between kerbs and the following bends such as “Hatzenbach”.

The modified shift characteristics of the 7-speed gearbox allow gear changes with more intensive feedback and make the powerful driving experience in the Golf R “20 Years” even more emotive. The optimised exhaust system sound in the low engine speed range and the rougher engine sound in the vehicle interior underline the vehicle’s increased dynamic performance.

The step forward in development compared with the predecessor model is also shown by the enhanced engine tuning of the Volkswagen R anniversary vehicle. The preloaded turbocharger is also kept at a constant speed in overrun mode so that the engine can develop its power more quickly in subsequent acceleration. This process is supported by the continuously open throttle valve. When the driver takes their foot off the accelerator and then accelerates again, this allows faster build-up of the torque and noticeably improves the engine’s responsiveness.

The Golf R “20 Years” with its performance-oriented drive technology achieved a speed of almost 240 km/h at the “Schwedenkreuz” crest, while 265 km/h was measured at the “Döttinger Höhe” on the Nürburgring. The new record time of 7:47.31 minutes means an improvement of four seconds compared to the predecessor model and a special gift for Volkswagen R to mark the 20th model anniversary.

Blurring the lines between production and race cars. The Golf R “20 Years” effortlessly bridges the gap between everyday companion and thoroughbred athlete.

“With this car, I can drive here on the Nürburgring and the next stop is then the baker’s or the DIY store. The vehicle is really an all-rounder that can do everything,” says a visibly impressed Benjamin Leuchter. And that is exactly the concept pursued by Volkswagen R: Volkswagen’s premium performance brand has already been offering special models since 2002. With their enhanced performance and expressive design, they generate enthusiasm all over the world in the Volkswagen fan communities.

The continuous and rapid development towards even greater performance can be easily seen by taking a look at some of the vehicle data of the models from past years. Starting with the Golf R32 with 177 kW (241 PS) and a 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine as the drive unit, through the Golf 6 R with 199 kW (270 PS) and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, the performance-oriented Golf models up to the Golf R “20 Years” with 245 kW (333 PS) have not just become more powerful, but also faster. Volkswagen R is celebrating this successful model development with the Golf R “20 Years”. The production period limited to approximately one year makes the special-edition model a collector’s item as soon as it rolls off the production line.

Articles source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

The Volkswagen brand further strengthened the Group’s economic efficiency in the first half of 2022. Effective sale management, improved cost efficiency and consistent implementation of the ACCELERATE strategy have led to a strong financial result. Operating result before special items rose to EUR 1.9 billion (first half of 2021: EUR 1.2 billion). The operating return on sales before special items rose to 5.6 percent (first half of 2021: 3.4 percent). The half-year result benefited in particular from a strong second quarter. This is also the main reason that the net operating cash flow reached 569 million euros in the first six months. As a result of optimized model and price policy, the company generated sales revenue of just under 33 billion euros (first half of 2021: 36 billion euros) – despite a significant year-on-year decline in vehicle deliveries.

Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer: “We are making great strides in implementing our electric mobility strategy, digitalization and software, and picked up significant speed in the second quarter of 2022, despite the persistently strained supply situation. We continue to apply extreme cost discipline and will leverage even greater synergies at all levels within the Volume brand group. The aim is to increase efficiency by 20 percent for the entire Volume brand group in the medium term. For the second half of the year, we are cautiously optimistic that the supply situation will ease.” The Volume brand group, which comprises Volkswagen Passenger Cars, SEAT and CUPRA, ŠKODA as well as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, is under the responsibility of Thomas Schäfer in the Group Board of Management. The brands are to cooperate even more closely in future to become even faster, more effective and more cost-efficient – and to turn the large volume of vehicles they produce into a competitive advantage.

Focus on cost efficiency remains unchanged

Contributors to the financial result include the continued consistent drive to optimize fixed costs and distribution expenses, the ongoing encouraging trend in the regions – especially North and South America – as well as the investment focus on digitalization and electric mobility, which are key issues for the future. “Our measures to reduce costs and increase profit are having an effect, despite persistent geopolitical uncertainties, sharp rises in commodity and energy prices, disruptions to delivery and supply chains as well as the impact of the pandemic in China,” says Volkswagen CFO Alexander Seitz. “The upward trend continued in the second quarter.”

Volkswagen delivers 25 percent more all-electric cars

Due to the war in Ukraine, the global semiconductor shortage and the coronavirus pandemic in China, global deliveries amounted to 2.08 million vehicles (down 23.2 percent). The number of electric vehicles delivered meanwhile continues to grow: A total of 116,000 units means that 25 percent more all-electric cars were delivered than in the same period of the previous year. The clear front runner was the ID.4 – at around 63,000 deliveries – making every second BEV an ID.4. In China, Volkswagen’s deliveries of electric vehicles as much as doubled, and in June the number of vehicles in the ID. family reached a new record high, with 17,600 models delivered to Chinese customers.

Overall, demand remains high for both ICE and electric vehicles. The backlog of orders across all drive types stands at 728,000 vehicles for Europe alone, including around 139,000 all-electric ID.s. The Group is working hard on further reducing delivery times for customers and processing more of the large backlog of orders as quickly as possible.

Outlook for 2022 lifted – despite rising commodity and energy prices

“We expect the impact of commodity and energy prices to be significantly higher in the second half of 2022 than in the first half of the year. We are taking a bundle of measures to counter this trend. We are confident that we will largely be able to offset these price increases and continue our positive trend. We are for this reason lifting our outlook – providing that the supply situation develops according to expectations. For full-year 2022, we are now aiming for an operating return on sales before special items of 4 to 5 percent,” says Alexander Seitz. The full-year outlook was previously at up to 4 percent.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

The Volkswagen subsidiary Elli, which has Group-wide responsibility for all activities relating to the topic of charging and energy, is expanding its offer. The three brand-neutral wall box models are now also available in Italy, Sweden and Spain, following on from Germany. All chargers allow charging at home with a maximum charging capacity of 11 kW and are therefore up to eight times faster than a household socket. Three flexible and transparent charging tariffs are offered. The “Drive Highway” tariff for long-distance drivers has already been hailed in Germany as “the cheapest charging tariff from an independent provider” by the Europe-wide market analysis “E-Mobility Excellence Comparison 2022”.

The three wall box models from Elli are called “Standard”, “Connect” and “Pro”. They are compatible with current and future electric vehicles of the Volkswagen brands as well as all cars from other manufacturers with a Type-2 connector. Other common features include a charging capacity of up to 11 kW and an integrated 4.5 or 7.5 metre long charging cable. The Connect and Pro charger models connect to the Internet via WiFi – optionally also via LTE. This means that users can also control the wall box when on the move. What’s more, these two models can also be activated via app or charging card for particular users. In the case of the Pro charger, the app also shows all charging processes in an overview and allows a corresponding PDF file to be exported

Customers in Germany can conveniently order the Elli wall charging stations on the internet: Elli Wallbox online bestellen | Elli Shop | Elli – Empowering electric life. The wall boxes are now also offered in Italy, Sweden and Spain, which is a logical step for Simon Löffler, CCO of Elli: "Elli sees itself as an

independent full-service provider of charging and energy solutions that customers of all brands can use. We are therefore expanding the distribution of our wall box offer and taking this service to other European countries."

Customers who need assistance to install the wall box can request this on an individual basis from Elli. For example, if additional modifications (such as to masonry or fuse boxes) or cables are necessary, Elli can provide a portfolio of installation partners designated for this purpose.

Next to Elli wall boxes customers can also choose between one of the three charging tariffs from Elli whenever they don’t charge at home but on the road. The transparent tariff model provides affordable access to more than 330,000 charging points throughout Europe, including 10,000 fast chargers at over 3,000 locations. Cost transparency is assured thanks to fixed prices per kilowatt hour, independently of the respective charging station operator. The price structure is based on user charging habits: “Drive Free”, “Drive City” and “Drive Highway” are geared towards drivers who need to charge their vehicles rarely, frequently or quickly. Changing to a higher tariff is possible at any time. The “Drive Highway” tariff has already been hailed as the “cheapest charging tariff from an independent provider in 2022”. Based on the model calculation of the Europe-wide market analysis “E-Mobility Excellence Comparison 2022”, it offers the best price-performance ratio.

The charging models for the individual Volkswagen Group charging services – SEAT and CUPRA Easy Charging, Powerpass and Volkswagen We Charge – were standardised in spring this year as part of the NEW AUTO strategy and can be accessed via this link: https://www.elli.eco/en/mobility-service-provider

About Elli
Elli is a brand of the Volkswagen Group and a provider of energy and charging solutions. With a workforce of some 200 employees, the company takes care of the things that matter to customers at the touchpoints between energy and mobility. Elli’s aim is to make the benefits of the shift to green energy accessible to everyone – easy and hassle-free. The company intends to offer a seamless and holistic energy and charging experience for all electric car drivers and fleet managers. Elli was founded in 2018 and has offices in Berlin, Wolfsburg and Munich.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen Group China today unveiled its first electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) passenger drone prototype, as part of its strategy to explore and break new ground in fully electric and sustainable individual mobility concepts. In 2020, Volkswagen Group China launched a Vertical Mobility project to explore the next generation of mobility solutions, including the urban air mobility market and the extension of urban traffic into airspace. After intensive research, conceptual work, and development, the project team has now developed its first validation model – the V.MO. This initial prototype has also been nicknamed the ‘Flying Tiger’ due to its distinctive black and gold livery, which was painted to commemorate its launch in the Year of the Tiger.

The prototype concept is based on existing autonomous driving solutions and battery technology for emission-free mobility. With a luxury x-wing configuration of 11.2m in length and a span width of 10.6m, the model features eight rotors for vertical lift and two propellers for horizontal flight. The Group will conduct several flight tests later this year to optimize the concept and an improved prototype will undergo further advanced test flights by late summer 2023. In its final future iteration, the fully electric and automated eVTOL could eventually carry four passengers plus luggage over a distance of up to 200km.

Dr. Stephan Wöllenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, said: “Through this pilot project, we are bringing Volkswagen’s long tradition of precision engineering, design, and innovation to the next level, by developing a premium product that will serve the vertical mobility needs of our future tech savvy Chinese customers. This is a pioneering project which our young team of Chinese experts started from scratch – they are working with new design concepts and materials while developing new safety standards, disrupting and innovating every step of the way. The launch of this stunning validation model – the V.MO – is the first of many remarkable milestones on our exciting journey towards urban air travel, and a perfect example of our ‘From China, For China’ mission. Our long-term aim is to industrialize this concept and, like a ‘Flying Tiger’, break new ground in this emerging and fast-evolving new mobility market.”

Volkswagen Group China is rapidly expanding local R&D and software expertise to respond faster to what customers want and significantly accelerate the pace of innovation. The Vertical Mobility project requires interdisciplinary and innovative thinking in a new field, and the Group formed a team of young, local experts to drive it forward. They have been supported by Chinese partners including Hunan Sunward Technology, a subsidiary of Hunan-based manufacturing group Sunward. The company specializes in aviation product development, sales and services and is a market leader in the light sport aircraft industry.

Urban air mobility is a fast-emerging market which aims to utilize air space for short- and medium-distance connections, especially above and between large cities. In China, it is set to play a significant role in the future of urban and intercity transportation in its congested megacities. In the first phase of its commercial use, V.MO is likely to be pitched as a premium product for high-net worth tech savvy Chinese customers, for example for VIP air shuttle services. eVTOL air vehicles will be able to transport passengers more quickly and efficiently than current conventional means of terrestrial transport and with greater flexibility. As the Vertical Mobility project develops, Volkswagen Group China will work with the relevant Chinese authorities to achieve certification.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com