The Volkswagen Group.

The Volkswagen Group

The Volkswagen Group with its headquarters in Wolfsburg is one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. In 2009, the Group increased the number of vehicles delivered to customers to 6.336 million (2008: 6.257 million), corresponding to a 11.3 percent share of the world passenger car market.

The Volkswagen Group reported a pleasing sales situation on all three of its largest individual markets throughout 2009. In China, deliveries rose by 36.7 percent to 1.40 (1.03) million units. On the German market, the Group brands delivered a total of 1.24 (1.06; +17.5 percent) million vehicles. In Brazil, the Group reported a 8.7 percent increase in deliveries to 688,300 (633,300) units.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand also reported a new record for 2009, growing deliveries by 7.8 percent to 3.95 (3.67) million units.

The Volkswagen Group brands

The Group is made up of nine brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Scania.

Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity on the market. The product range extends from low-consumption small cars to luxury class vehicles. In the commercial vehicle sector, the product offering spans pick ups, busses and heavy trucks.

61 manufacturing facilities in 21 countries worldwide

The Group operates 61 production plants in fifteen European countries and a further six countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Around the world, nearly 370,000 employees produce about 26,000 vehicles or are involved in vehicle-related services each working day. The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in more than 153 countries.

It is the goal of the Group to offer attractive, safe and environmentally sound vehicles which are competitive on an increasingly tough market and which set world standards in their respective classes.