VOLKSWAGEN GROUP MAKES E-TURN

Volkswagen Group is on a mission to offer the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the world, across all brands and regions, in just a few years. From 2019, there will be a new electric vehicle “virtually every month”, said Matthias Müller, CEO of Volkswagen AG, at the Group’s Annual Media Conference in Berlin last month. This year, another nine new electrified vehicles, three of which will be purely electric-powered, will be added to the Group’s electric portfolio of eight EVs. According to Müller, 16 locations around the globe are to produce battery powered vehicles by the end of 2022. The Group currently produces electric vehicles at three locations, and in two years’ time a further nine Group plants are scheduled to be equipped for this purpose. And to ensure adequate battery capacity for the massive expansion, partnerships with battery manufacturers in Europe and China have already been agreed, and contracts to the tune of EUR 20 billion have already been awarded. A supplier decision for North America will follow soon. range of 600 km, a top speed of over 200 km/h and acceleration of 0-100 km/h in four seconds. With an electric vehicle that exudes modernity, progressiveness and an appealing technical aesthetic from every angle, the BMW i4 looks set to become a worthy Tesla Model S competitor.