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FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Volkswagen will have to replace to remain applicable in the era of electric and virtual cars and announce “important steps” by the end of the year, Executive Chairman Herbert Diess said Wednesday.
“Volkswagen wants to change: from a collection of valued brands and desirable combustion engine products that delight consumers with very good engineering, to a virtual company that reliably operates millions of mobility devices around the world,” said Diess to shareholders at the virtual general meeting of the company. .
Vehicles will have to stay in touch with customers, offer new facilities and convenience features weekly or even daily, he said.
“We will take other steps to set the course for the rest of 2020,” Diess said.
Executives told Reuters that the company is looking for the role of its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati, as the company focuses on electric, virtual and autonomous vehicles.
Volkswagen, which also owns VW, Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda, is investigating whether it has the resources to drive the progression of electric platforms for smaller brands at a time when it is investing billions in its cars in the market. consumer.
When asked if Ducati, who is known for making motorcycles with noisy combustion engines, has an electric future, Markus Duesmann, who oversees the studies and progression of the group, said, “It may not be long before we see an electric Ducati. “
If Ducati, which is a medium-sized premium motorcycle brand, would be offering an electric variant based on a bike’s ability to offer diversity comparable to a combustion engine variant, Duesmann said.
Progress is being made in generating batteries that can make this possible, he added.
Meanwhile, Frank Witter, the company’s leading monetary officer, said in reaction to a question about whether a Sale of Lamborghini is planned, said Volkswagen did not comment on hypotheses about possible disinvestments.
Lamborghini Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali announced this week that he will be leaving the sports manufacturer to take up a new position as president of Formula 1.
(Report through Edward Taylor; edited through Mark Potter)