Volkswagen has put together a series of exclusive equipment packages for its new MOVE special-edition models. True to the slogan “Simply get more”, they come with a whole host of attractive additional model-dependent features: from background lighting and newly designed seat covers made from sustainable materials to the model-specific Zurich alloy wheels. Depending on vehicle, customers benefit from savings of up to €2,600 compared with the recommended retail price for a model with an equivalent equipment level.

“The new MOVE special-edition models represent an attractive option for all customer groups,” explains Imelda Labbé, member of the Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. Polo, Taigo, T-Cross, T-Roc, T-Roc Cabriolet, Golf, Golf Estate, Touran, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace: an exclusive specification package is now available for these models. Highlights include the special colour Ivory Silver Metallic and the model-specific Zurich alloy wheels. Customers can also look forward to darkened rear windows, as well as sill panel mouldings and badges with the MOVE lettering.

The extensive standard equipment of the special-edition models also includes a multifunction leather steering wheel, the Ready 2 Discover infotainment and navigation system including Streaming & Internet, the Air Care Climatronic automatic air conditioner, and the Light & Sight Package with automatic lighting control and rain sensor. The interior features stylish touches such as background lighting and newly designed seat covers with coloured stitching and expressive embossing. In addition, sustainable materials are used in all models. For example, the outer fabric of the seats, head restraints, headliner and textile floor mats is made from up to 100 percent recycled materials and, depending on the model, from up to 100 recycled PET bottles.

All MOVE special-edition models can be combined with different engine and gearbox versions and are now available for order. The special-edition models can be optionally supplemented with a “Plus” package (including Digital Cockpit Pro, LED Plus/matrix headlights). Depending on model, customers benefit from savings of up to €2,600.

 Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Today, Volkswagen AG announced its goal of making its data center operations net carbon-neutral by 2027. To achieve this goal, the Group has expanded its computing capacities at Green Mountain, a Norwegian operator of CO₂-neutral data centers. With this expansion, one quarter of Volkswagen’s global data center operations will run carbon-neutrally. This corresponds to annual CO₂ savings of 10,000 tons.

Accelerating its decarbonization strategy, Volkswagen AG has set itself the ambitious goal to make its data centers net carbon-neutral by 2027. This would be three years earlier than foreseen in the European Green Deal, under which European data center operators agreed to make their data centers climate-neutral by 2030. To achieve this goal, Volkswagen has expanded its data center operations at Green Mountain, a Norwegian operator of CO₂-neutral data centers. All servers at Green Mountain run on 100% renewable electricity generated by hydropower and are cooled naturally by the adjacent fjord.

Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management, IT and Digitalization, explained: “Green IT is a key topic on our ESG agenda. While technology is the key driver for more efficiency, an improved customer experience, and new business models, IT accounts for about 3% of global CO₂ emissions,” Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management, IT and Digitalization, explained. “Given the rising demand for computing power and data storage to enable Volkswagen Group’s NEW AUTO strategy, a sustainable IT roadmap with ambitious goals is paramount to systematically reduce our carbon footprint. With data centers being the biggest contributor of carbon emissions in IT, expanding our computing capacity at Green Mountain is a strong lever to make our data center operations carbon-neutral by 2027.”

The cooperation with Green Mountain started back in June 2019, when Volkswagen Group opened its data center operations at Green Mountain's RJU1-Rjukan site in Telemark, Norway. The goal was to outsource non time-critical, high-performance computing projects like crash-test simulations to free up capacity in Volkswagen Group’s data centers at the headquarters needed for critical business applications. In total, Volkswagen Group has six data center operations worldwide, three in Wolfsburg, two in Norway, one in Singapore.

With Volkswagen AG’s latest expansion to Green Mountain’s SVG1-Rennesøy data center, one quarter of the Group’s global computing power requirements will run carbon-neutrally. This corresponds to annual CO₂ savings of 10,000 tons. The renewable power used for Volkswagen’s data center operation at Green Mountain would be sufficient to provide 500 households with green electricity for one year.

“We appreciate the renewed trust Volkswagen has placed in us and are pleased to support them on their journey towards full carbon-neutrality,” said Tor Kristian Gyland, CEO of Green Mountain. “Together we share the same vision of a more sustainable future.”

For the new site at SVG1-Rennesøy, Green Mountain converted a former high security NATO ammunition storage facility into a unique 22,600 m² high-security mountain hall colocation data center. The infrastructure has been designed to be expanded up to 2 x 26MW, with Volkswagen using 3MW of capacity. For the cooling, which in traditional data centers accounts for an 40% to 80% of the electricity required to power the servers, SVG1-Rennesøy takes advantage of the adjacent deep-water fjord reaching 100 meters, with a constant water temperature of 8 degrees Celsius all year round.

In Norway, 98.9 % of the electricity production is renewable, with the majority generated from hydropower. Hydropower has both a minimal carbon footprint as well as marginal ecological impact. The Norwegian government vigorously promotes the utilization of power from renewable energy sources for new branches of industry, for example, in climate-neutral data centers. Tax breaks, low energy prices and stable political conditions make Norway an ideal location for green IT.

Volkswagen AG was the first automaker to commit to the Paris climate agreement back in 2018. By 2050, the company aims to be net CO₂ neutral. In its core business, the Group intends to achieve a 30% CO reduction by 2030. Today, more than 90% of Volkswagen AG’s external power supply for its European manufacturing sites already comes from renewable energies.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen is on track with the electrification of its vehicle fleet. One year earlier than planned the company has reached a further milestone in the implementation of its ACCELERATE strategy to become an emission-free, software-driven mobility provider: Since the first ID.3 models were handed over to customers in September 2020, Volkswagen has delivered 500,000 vehicles from the ID. family worldwide – despite the persistently strained supply situation.

Electric mobility campaign is a success story for Volkswagen

Delivery of half a million ID.s confirms that the Volkswagen models are being well-received by our customers – all over the world. We are on the right track with our electric mobility campaign and our success story continues,” Imelda Labbé, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales at Volkswagen, said. “Our focus is unchanged – we want to make Volkswagen the most desirable brand for sustainable mobility.” The order bank at Volkswagen remains high: “We are doing our utmost to deliver the roughly 135,000 ID.s on order to our customers as quickly as possible. However, due to the persistently strained situation as regards the supply of parts we are repeatedly having to adjust production,” Labbé commented.

Volkswagen will only produce electric vehicles in Europe from 2033. By 2030, all-electric vehicles are already to account for at least 70 percent of Volkswagen’s unit sales in Europe. In the USA and China, the company is targeting an electric vehicle share of more than 50 percent for the same period. “Norway is the forerunner in electric mobility. The ID.4 topped the registration statistics there in October. This example shows that the ID. family product portfolio matches the needs of our customers,” Labbé stated.

Volkswagen is to launch ten new electric models by 2026. “Volkswagen will have the broadest portfolio of electric vehicles in the automotive industry: From the entry-level e-car with a target price of under €25,000 to the new flagship Aero B we will have the right offer in every segment,” Labbé said.

Customer feedback transformed direct into new vehicle functions

The ID. family is also a trailblazer in terms of software integration and digital customer experience: Volkswagen constantly provides ID. owners with “over the air” updates. This ensures that the car is always up to date across the entire life cycle, and that it is constantly being improved by new functions. “Our experience with this in recent months has been very positive,” Labbé reports: “The benefit is that we can transform customer feedback directly and swiftly into new functions, such as increased charging capacity or a battery capacity notification, in the driver display.”

MEB is the backbone of the electric mobility campaign

The modular electric drive matrix (MEB) is a decisive factor in the accelerated boost to the global electric mobility campaign under the brand’s ACCELERATE strategy. Designed especially for Volkswagen’s electric drive system, this vehicle architecture offers long ranges, plenty of interior space and the possibility for over-the-air software updates. The MEB serves as the technical basis for all the fully-electric and fully-networked vehicles in the ID. family.

With its consistent focus on all-electric drives and its ability to be used in vehicles from a range of segments throughout the entire Volkswagen Group, the MEB generates huge economies of scale, reduces the costs of electric mobility and expedites the transition towards carbon-neutral mobility. Thanks to its “design for manufacturing”, the MEB is also specifically tailored for fast and efficient production. This enables the generation of extensive economies of scale, which make electric vehicles less expensive and thus more affordable for a great number of people.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

With the inclusion of the EU taxonomy into its new Green Finance Framework (GFF) the Volkswagen Group makes investments in Green Debt Instruments issued by the company more attractive, transparent and reliable for sustainability investors. The GFF links the Group’s decarbonization goals with its financing strategy. Only capital expenditures (capitalized development costs and additions to property plant and equipment) for battery electric vehicles (BEV) that are aligned with the EU taxonomy are taken into account under the new GFF. The investments are audited in connection with the annual report by the Groups independent auditor on a reasonable assurance basis. Investors can thus obtain a high level of transparency and verification for the use of proceeds.

Dr. Arno Antlitz: ”With the new Green Finance Framework we strengthen the position of the Volkswagen Group as an issuer of sustainable finance instruments and our contribution to the sustainable development of our company. To support our increasing investments in electrification we simultaneously aim to increase the share of Green Debt Instruments in our funding mix. In doing so we contribute to the development of the sustainable financing market.”

The Volkswagen Group is continuing its way to focus in its GFF on all electric vehicles only. Capital expenditures in relation to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) or to vehicles with combustion engines are fully excluded. By that, the company continues the way it has started back in March 2020, when the first Green Finance Framework was published. Volkswagen has issued Green Bonds totaling EUR 3.5 billion under the old framework. The new GFF will allow the Volkswagen Group to issue different Green Debt Instruments, including Green Senior Unsecured Bonds, Green Junior Subordinated Bonds, Green Schuldscheindarlehen, and obtain Green Loans.

The Volkswagen Group will report at least once per year on allocation of the net proceeds from debt instruments that are issued on the basis of the GFF as well as on the environmental impact of the BEVs where capital expenditures have been spent in accordance with the GFF. This will be demonstrated via the results from external certified Life Cycle Assessments which analyses the environmental impact of BEVs over their entire life cycle and all stages of the value chain. This includes the extraction of raw materials, the production of materials, the processes at its suppliers and its own production at its sites, the use phase with vehicle emissions and the necessary provision of energy and eventually the recycling of the vehicle at the end of its life cycle.

Sustainalytics as a renowned independent rating institute has given a second party opinion in order to verify compliance with the Green Bond Principles (2021) of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and the Green Loan Principles (2021) of the Loan Market Association (LMA).

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com