On September 1st, the Volkswagen concern has a new boss. Herbert Dies was replaced by Oliver Bloom. At an internal meeting of managers, he declared that wherever possible, the company would switch to electromobility more quickly.
German automaker Volkswagen is accelerating its transition to electric vehicles. The group’s new head, Oliver Blum, said this at an internal meeting of company managers.The Volkswagen concern’s goal, which includes Mladá Boleslav’s Skoda Auto, is to become the world’s largest electric car by 2025. It is to replace American rival Tesla as an automaker.
“Electromobility is the future,” said Blume, who succeeded Herbert Diess as Volkswagen’s chief executive on September 1. “We will maintain the current pace of the transition to electric vehicles and, if possible, increase the pace. I am a fan of electromobility,” he added.
In July, Mr. Diess, 63, abruptly agreed to resign from the Supervisory Board. Blume, 54, was chosen to replace him because he was seen as a more discreet boss than Diess, according to Reuters sources. The latter has been known for its radical changes in strategy, sometimes causing the displeasure of high-impact racing boards.
Since 2015, Blume has managed the Volkswagen-related Porsche luxury car division and is also responsible for the group. Volkswagen is currently preparing to list its Porsche division on the stock exchange.
At the end of July, Volkswagen announced that its profit after tax in the first half was up more than a quarter year-on-year to €10.6 billion (around CZK 260 billion). Earnings he increased by 2% to 132.3 billion euros.
Škoda Motor Company announced this week that it will invest an additional €5.6 billion (around CZK 137 billion) in electromobility and an additional €700 million (around CZK 17 billion) in digitalization over the next five years. Last year, the company said it wants to invest 1.4 billion euros in electric vehicles over five years.
Škoda Auto plans to launch three new all-electric models by 2026, with others to follow. The share of purely electric vehicles in the brand’s sales in Europe is set to increase to over 70% by 2030. Accelerating the transition to electromobility and digitization is presenting a new logo and visual style for the brand. Click here for details.
