Το VW Group, χθες κατά την διάρκεια επίσκεψης της Angela Merkel και του Κινέζου πρωθυπουργού Wen Jiabao στο εργοστάσιο της στο Wolfsburg, υπέγραψε συμφωνία με την κινέζικη SAIC ώστε να κατασκευάσει ένα νέο εργοστάσιο στη πόλη Urumqi, πρωτεύουσα της επαρχίας Xinjiang, της Δυτικής Κίνας, ενώ επέκτεινε και την συμφωνία με την First Automobile Group Corp (FAW), ώστε η κοινοπραξία FAW-Volkswagen να υπάρχει τουλάχιστον ακόμη 25 χρόνια. Το νέο εργοστάσιο θα κοστίζει κοντά στα 170 εκατ. ευρώ και θα ξεκινήσει την λειτουργία του από το 2015 με ετήσια παραγωγή 50.000 αυτοκινήτων. Η παραπάνω κινήσεις είναι μέρος της επένδυσης 14.3 δις ευρώ της πενταετίας 2012-2016.
Παράλληλα η VW ανακοίνωσε ότι μέσα στα επόμενα 5 χρόνια ο όμιλος θα επενδύει περισσότερα από τα 2/3 των 62.4 δις ευρώ, ώστε να κάνει τα αυτοκίνητα τους πιο αποδοτικά, να δημιουργήσει μια νέα γενιά κινητήρων οι οποίοι θα έχουνε καλύτερες επιδόσεις, μικρότερη κατανάλωση καυσίμου καθώς και μειωμένες εκπομπές CO2. Φυσικά θα συνεχιστεί η ανάπτυξη των υβριδικών, των ηλεκτρικών κινητήρων αλλά και των νέων κιβωτίων ταχυτήτων.
Επίσης θα επενδύσει στα εργοστάσια της, ώστε να τα κάνει φιλικότερα προς το περιβάλλον, τροφοδοτώντας τα με ανανεώσιμες πηγές ενέργειας. Στόχος είναι έως το 2015, ο μέσος όρος εκπομπών CO2 των αυτοκινήτων της να κυμαίνεται στα 120 γρ/χλμ, μείωση κατά 30% σε σχέση με σήμερα. Κάθε νέα μοντέλο του ομίλου, θα είναι κατά 10% με 15% φιλικότερο από το αυτοκίνητο που αντικαθιστά. Περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες μπορείς να βρεις στο δελτίο τύπου που ακολουθεί.
[Πηγή: Volkswagen]
[learn_more caption=”Δελτίο Τύπου”]
Volkswagen Group plans expansion of commitment in China
- Chinese Premier Wen and Federal Chancellor Merkel visit Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg
- Contract to build a new plant in Urumqi and letter of intent to extend partnership with FAW
Wolfsburg / Beijing, 23 April 2012 – The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel today visited the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg. In the presence of the two heads of government, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, and representatives of the Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corporation signed a contract to build a new plant in Urumqi, Western China. Furthermore, the Volkswagen Group and China First Automobile Group Corp (FAW) agreed on plans to extend the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture by a further 25 years.
“A 30-year success story unites Volkswagen and China. As a pioneer of the Chinese automotive industry we gave important momentum to China’s industrial development and to German-Sino economic relations. Together with our partners we will now carry this pioneering spirit into Western China as well”, Winterkorn said on the occasion of the visit to Wolfsburg.
Volkswagen and SAIC Motor Corporation of Shanghai agreed to build a vehicle manufacturing plant in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province. A total of approx. € 170 Mio will be invested in the new plant. From 2015 this plant will produce up to 50,000 vehicles per year. In parallel, Volkswagen will help automotive suppliers to settle in the vicinity and will be setting up its own training center. “Going forward, we expect strong growth in China’s rural regions. The west of the country plays a special role in this context. Together with its partners, Volkswagen is looking to extend its presence there in the long term”, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China (VGC), said. “Our ‘go west’ strategy marks the beginning of a further chapter in our success story in China”, Neumann added.
Furthermore, Winterkorn and representatives of the partner FAW signed a letter of intent regarding the early extension of the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture by a further 25 years. The joint venture was set up in 1991 and today operates vehicle and component plants in Changchun, Chengdu and Dalian. Following more than 20 years of successful cooperation, Volkswagen and FAW intend to further expand their strategic partnership going forward, and will be concentrating in particular on projects concerning electro-mobility and new, innovative product developments and services in the financial services sector.
Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and the high-ranking Chinese delegation comprising Premier Wen Jiabao and numerous ministers were welcomed to the Wolfsburg plant by Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn and Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft.
The visitors entered their names in the guest book and attended the ceremony to mark the signing of the contract and the letter of intent, and were then introduced to some of the Volkswagen Group’s forward-looking vehicle concepts, which were presented by Winterkorn. The guests were especially impressed by current developments in electro-mobility, particularly the Golf Blue-e-Motion.
The People’s Republic of China is the Volkswagen Group’s largest sales market. Volkswagen sold 2.26 million vehicles in China in 2011, with deliveries increasing by 15.6 percent to over 633,000 units in the first three months of this year. The two joint ventures Shanghai-Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen with a total workforce of some 50,000 produce vehicles, gearboxes, chassis and engines at ten plants. The Group intends to continue on this successful course in future: The two Chinese joint ventures will be significantly expanding their commitment, investing a total of €14 billion by 2016. The focus will lie on developing new products and expanding environmentally-friendly production capacity.
Volkswagen showcases mobility of the future
Hannover Messe 2012: efficient production processes and intelligent lightweight design
Wolfsburg / Hanover, 23 April 2012 – In line with the central topic of this year’s Hannover Messe, “greentelligence”, Volkswagen is giving visitors a comprehensive idea of the resource-conserving automobile production processes of the future in Hall 15. Apart from the environmentally compatible production methods of “Think Blue. Factory.”, the main emphasis is on low-consumption vehicles and innovative electro-mobility exhibits.
At the beginning of March in Geneva, the Volkswagen Group already announced the launch of a fundamental environmental transformation. In the coming five years, the Group will be spending well over two thirds of its entire €62.4 billion investment program directly or indirectly into ever more efficient vehicles, new powertrain concepts and environmentally compatible production at Volkswagen plants throughout the world.
At this year’s stand in Hanover, Volkswagen is tackling the question of how individual mobility can be brought into harmony with sustainable action. Apart from the program for resource-conserving automobile production, this also includes efficient Volkswagen brand vehicles with BlueMotion technologies, electro-mobility and new mobility concepts such as the “Quicar” car sharing project.
The ideal “Think Blue. Factory.” is the key element of this year’s presentation. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has set itself clear targets for the future. By 2018, the aim is to reduce the environmental impact of all Volkswagen plants by 25 percent. This especially includes energy consumption, waste volumes, air pollution, water use and CO2 emissions. At its stand, Volkswagen gives an indication of the technical approach adopted to achieving these targets.
Taking the example of intelligent lightweight construction using hot stamping, already used by Volkswagen in series production, Volkswagen presents an advanced production technology that helps conserve resources in a sustainable way. Dry machining, which does not require any cooling and lubricating emulsion thanks to the use of new machines and tools and modified machining processes, also significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions at Volkswagen plants.
In addition, in a simulated production line, Volkswagen gives a clear presentation of the mode of operation of its Modular Transverse Matrix –
a key technology that is to be introduced at the Wolfsburg and Zwickau plants this year.
Apart from the eco-friendly BlueMotion models, selected electric vehicles give a glimpse of the mobility of the future. The main focus is on the Golf Blue-e-Motion, the electrically powered version of the best-selling Volkswagen model. As a mobility solution for large cities, Volkswagen is also showcasing the Quicar car sharing project, launched in Hanover in November 2011.
For the first time, visitors to the fair can experience electric traction from Volkswagen for themselves during a test drive at the exhibition center. Nine Golf Blue-e-Motion vehicles are available for testing. Visitors can register for a test drive at the Volkswagen stand.
People interested in career prospects with Europe’s largest automaker can also obtain information at Hannover Messe. The Volkswagen HR marketing team will be available for personal discussions at the Volkswagen stand in Hall 15.
Hannover Messe is one of the world’s leading technology showcases. 5,000 exhibitors from about 70 countries are presenting their innovations and world firsts at the 2012 event. This year, China is the partner country of Hannover Messe. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands are presenting their products and services in Hall 15 on Stand A04.
VOLKSWAGEN GROUP LAUNCHES NEW SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
The Volkswagen Group has published its latest Sustainability Report, giving a comprehensive overview of the organisation’s activities in relation to the economy, society and the environment. One of the key objectives of the 100 page report is to explore the development of improvements in the environmental compatibility of products and production, as well as the encouragement of health, skills and welfare of the Volkswagen Group’s 500,000-plus employees across the world.
‘Our job, in fact our responsibility, is to safeguard the future of widespread personal mobility, keeping it affordable, safe and environmentally compatible. This is why we have recently raised the bar in terms of sustainability and have set new, ambitious goals,’ explain Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, and Bernd Osterloh, Chairman of the General and Group Works Councils in the report’s introduction.
The new Sustainability Report gives an overview of the Volkswagen Group’s product portfolio and its environmental credentials. Currently the Group offers 155 models which emit less than 120 g/km of CO2; 28 are below the threshold of 100 g/km. The Volkswagen Group is also aiming to increase further the environmental compatibility of its products, with a target to reduce the CO2 emissions of its European fleet by 30 per cent by 2015, compared to 2006. For 2015 the Group is aiming to have its fleet emissions below the key threshold of 120 g/km of CO2.
The Volkswagen Group is also aiming to make production at its 94 plants more resource-friendly, with targets to make operations around the world 25 per cent more eco-friendly by 2018. The key principles of responsibility within the Volkswagen Group are:
- From now until 2016 the Volkswagen Group will be investing €62.4 billion around the world and an additional €14 billion in China. More than two thirds will flow directly and indirectly into increasingly efficient vehicles, powertrains and technologies as well as into environmentally compatible production at plants around the world.
- In the period between 2006 and 2015 the Volkswagen Group wants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions of its European new vehicle fleet by 30 per cent. From 2015 the fleet will pass below the key threshold of 120 g/km of CO2.
- Each new model generation of the Group’s vehicles is designed to be, on average, 10 to 15 per cent more efficient than the previous model generation.
- Production operations of the Volkswagen Group will be 25 per cent more environmentally friendly by 2018. In concrete terms that means 25 per cent less energy and water consumption, waste and emissions.
- Carbon dioxide emissions from energy supplies to production will decrease by 40 per cent.
- The company will invest €600 million in making energy from renewables, including solar, wind and hydroelectric power.
The full Volkswagen Group Sustainability Report 2011 is now available; please click here to view or download: http://nachhaltigkeitsbericht2011.volkswagenag.com/en.html.
Volkswagen published its first welfare report back in the 1970s, followed by the first environmental report in 1995, and the first sustainability report in 2005. This year’s report has been audited in accordance with the AA1000AS standards and has been awarded the highest ‘A+’ rating by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
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