The Volkswagen Group with its headquarters in Wolfsburg is one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. In 2014, the Group increased the number of vehicles delivered to customers to 10.14 million (2013: 9.73 million), corresponding to a 12.9 percent share of the world passenger car market.
In Western Europe, around one in four new cars (25.1 percent) is made by the Volkswagen Group. Group sales revenue in 2014 totaled Euro 202 billion (2013: Euro 197 billion), while profit after tax amounted to Euro 11.1 billion (2013: Euro 9.1 billion).
The Group comprises twelve brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, SKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN.
Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity on the market. The product spectrum ranges from motorcycles to low-consumption small cars and luxury vehicles. In the commercial vehicle sector, the products include ranges from pick-ups, buses and heavy trucks.
The Volkswagen Group is also active in other fields of business, manufacturing large-bore diesel engines for marine and stationary applications (turnkey power plants), turbochargers, turbomachinery (steam and gas turbines), compressors and chemical reactors. It also produces vehicle transmissions, special gear units for wind turbines, slide bearings and couplings as well as testing systems for the mobility sector.
In addition, the Volkswagen Group offers a wide range of financial services, including dealer and customer financing, leasing, banking and insurance activities, and fleet management.
The Group operates 118 production plants in 19 European countries and a further eight countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Every weekday, more than 590,000 employees worldwide produce some 40,600 vehicles, and work in vehicle-related services or other fields of business. The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries.
The Group's goal is to offer attractive, safe and environmentally sound vehicles which can compete in an increasingly tough market and set world standards in their respective class.
December 31, 2014