Wolfsburg, Germany - By the end of the New Year weekend, Volkswagen will rolled out an all-time record six million vehicles - led by the top-selling Golf and Jetta, the Chinese-market Santana, the Passat and the Polo.
Volkswagen now builds more than 60 models at 50 plants in 14 countries; since production of the original Beetle began 72 years ago, more than 150 million Volkswagens have rolled off the production lines.
And the Wolfburg steamroller shows no sign of slowing down.
SUVs and electrics are key
Volkswagen brand management board member for production and logistics Thomas Ulbrich said on Thursday the whole product range would be renewed over the next few years and expanded in key segments such as SUVs and electric vehicles.
By 2020, he said, VW would have 19 SUV in its global line-up, and these would make up 40 percent of the overall model range. In the second phase, from 2020 onwards, he said, VW would build up a complete family of battery-powered electric vehicles, based on an entirely new electric architecture, starting with the I.D., I.D. Crozz and I.D. Buzz.
The target, he said, was to have a million pure electric Volkswagen vehicles on the world’s roads by 2025 - and we need hardly remind you that’s just seven years away.