Volkswagen shifts its fuel type strategy
As of September 30, 2015, it was confirmed that some five million Volkswagen-branded cars, 2.1 million Audi vehicles, 1.2 million Skoda automobiles, and 700,000 Seat cars, as well as 1.8 million VW commercial vehicles were fitted with a defeat device in their engines, and were thus affected by the Volkswagen diesel deception scandal. Five years on, the company gets invested in new drivetrain technologies. Volkswagen aims to expand its electric car model range and tap into the growing European market for electric vehicles. In 2020, the manufacturer had increased its global electric vehicle sales more than threefold compared to its 2019 record. This was in part through the sale of its ID.3 model, which ranked among the best-selling plug-in electric vehicles worldwide. Electric commercial vehicles were the manufacturer’s least popular in terms of alternative fuel, with its brand MAN recording some 2,900 sales of battery-electric trucks in the first nine months of 2021.Volkswagen's brands
Although the VW brand is the group’s most prolific marque, the automotive company has acquired several other brands over the last few years. Volkswagen's most notable brands include Audi, Bentley, SEAT, Porsche, and Škoda. In addition to its commercial vehicle segment, the automobile firm finalized a deal to acquire U.S.-based Navistar, as well as Scania and MAN, two European manufacturers of commercial vehicles and engines. The Volkswagen Group also holds stakes in the Ducati motorcycle brand.In 2020, Audi was the manufacturer’s second leading brand, representing close to a quarter of the VW Group’s vehicle sales revenue. The luxury brand produced some 1.7 million vehicles worldwide in 2020, an output right behind its main competitor BMW’s two million. Audi also ranked high among consumer satisfaction in the United States, higher than the VW Group’s namesake brand.
