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Peter Wisdom - Copyright Volkswagen

Volkswagen's pact for the future

After the problems from the emissions scandal and the personnel changes on the executive boards, Volkswagen is strategically relying on the “Future Pact”. According to Volkswagen, the goals are defined as achieving higher profitability and competitiveness. From the manufacturer's point of view, it is necessary to convert the added value to the future fields of mobility, such as electromobility and digitization in automotive engineering. The German plants are particularly in focus.

According to their own plans, they should be 2020% more productive by 25. The core competencies are then to be shifted to the areas of electric drives, battery cells and software development. In an interview with Dipl. Wirtsch. Ing Peter Weisheit, spokesman for technology communication at Volkswagen, we take a look at the future fields in the field of drive concepts.

gcm: Volkswagen has been using new drive strategies since the turbulence caused by the emissions scandal. Which drives for the passenger car sector will VW be focusing on in the coming years?

Peter's wisdom: As one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, we offer the full range of mobility. Different drives are particularly important when differentiated from one region to another. Both gasoline and diesel engines are definitely not yet at the end of their development. There is still a lot of optimization potential that we are continuously developing - in parallel with the expansion of electromobility. This also includes hybrid drives.
When it comes to alternative drives, the focus is in particular on e-mobility and CNG vehicles. We have been dealing very intensively with both topics for decades. With the ID. Family is launching a whole new range of all-electric vehicles in 2020. It is based on a completely new platform designed only for e-drives, the MEB. We want to sell 2025 million e-vehicles by 1. We are also currently bringing something new to the road when it comes to CNG: The Golf TGI will be launched with a brand new engine from the end of the year. With the new 1.5 TGI evo, another specially adapted CNG engine will make even better use of the high potential of natural gas with its extremely high octane number (130 RON) - despite the significantly increased performance.
In addition, both the Polo TGI and the Golf TGI are conceptually being further developed from bivalent to quasi-monovalent. From the end of 2018, both vehicles can then be ordered with an additional natural gas cylinder and thus an even higher CNG range. The fuel tank will be smaller and thus guarantee an extended reserve function.

gcm: Board members from the auto industry will not stop emphasizing that diesel is indispensable, at least in the medium term. How will Volkswagen deal with the issue?

Peter's wisdom: Modern diesels are among the cleanest and most efficient engines of all and will be able to tap further potential through hybridization. The diesel will have a harder time in the smaller vehicle segments due to its higher costs. But wherever the diesel has massive advantages, for example in the upscale vehicle segments or when towing a trailer, the diesel engine will still play to its strengths and maintain high market shares.

ID. Family starts in 2020 - Copyright Volkswagen
ID. Family starts in 2020 - Copyright Volkswagen

gcm: In which market segments in the passenger car area can we expect innovations from Volkswagen in 2019?

Peter's wisdom: Volkswagen will present new models in the volume segments that will in particular be fully and partially electrified. In the case of hybrids, 12V and 48V hybridization will also play a particularly important role and thus bring the topic of electrification further into the volume segments. With the ID. Family, which will be available from dealers as early as 2020, we are showing a new generation of e-mobiles with a long, purely electric range and excellent connectivity.
I also consider the latest generation of gasoline and diesel engines to be sustainable drive solutions, which will continue to be a good option in certain vehicle segments and applications. Incidentally, as do natural gas, fuel cell and electric drives, each of which has its own specific strengths and will find their markets.

gcm: Thank you very much, Mr. Wisdom.

Addendum

Interview from the green car magazine.

Image material: Copyright Volkswagen

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N. Hawthorn
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