Volkswagen e-Golf 2017

Volkswagen is to produce the new e-Golf in Dresden, too

• Transparent Factory to become “Center of Future Mobility”
• Brand to invest more than €20 million in flexible assembly
• Development Board Member Welsch: “A new start that will give a strong signal – e-mobility is to be our trademark.”

The Volkswagen brand is converting the Transparent Factory in Dresden into a production facility again. From April 2017, the new e-Golf1 is to be produced there. This was announced in Dresden on Thursday by Dr. Frank Welsch, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Development, in the presence of Stanislaw Tillich, Prime Minister of Saxony, Martin Dulig, Minister of Economic Affairs of Saxony, and Dresden’s Mayor Dirk Hilbert. In the New European Driving Cycle, the new e-Golf1 offers a range of up to 300 kilometers. In future, the model is to be produced at the facility in Dresden, Saxony, in addition to the main Golf plant in Wolfsburg.

Volkswagen will be investing more than €20 million in the development of the Transparent Factory into a “Center of Future Mobility”. In addition, Volkswagen Sachsen and Dresden recently agreed on a comprehensive partnership to foster e-mobility and digitalization which is to make Dresden a model city for sustainable, integrated urban mobility. Welsch: “Volkswagen, Dresden and Saxony are getting off to an energetic start towards the future of mobility together. We are making e-mobility our trademark here.”

Production in Dresden is to resume at the beginning of April 2017– initially in single-shift operation. Furthermore, customers will be able to take delivery of all the electrified models of the Volkswagen brand – the e-up!2, the e-Golf1, the Golf GTE3 and the Passat GTE4 – in Dresden in addition to the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. Welsch: “Volkswagen is committed to the Transparent Factory in Dresden. The production of the new e-Golf1 is a new start, it will give a strong signal.”

One year ago, the Transparent Factory was converted into a “showcase for e-mobility and digitalization” for visitors and customers. More than 40 exhibits and vehicles currently give a glimpse of the future of mobility in an interactive, entertaining way. Since then, over 75,000 people have visited the facility and more than 1,800 potential customers have taken the opportunity for a test drive with electric vehicles.

‎Saxony’s Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich said: “Volkswagen and Saxony represent a proven partnership and a major success story that we will continue working on at all locations. I am very pleased that we will be starting a new chapter with the production of the e-Golf1 at the Transparent Factory. With the know-how and innovative ideas provided by Saxon universities and research institutes in the fields of automotive engineering, electrical engineering and microelectronics, Saxony, which has a long tradition of automobile production, offers all the key skills needed for the further development of mobility.”

“With a unique combination that allows visitors to experience the production of an electric model, vehicle delivery, events and electric test drives, a visit to the Transparent Factory will become an unforgettable experience for customers. We want to provide a close encounter with

the mobility of the future,” Prof. Dr. Siegfried Fiebig, Speaker of the Management Board of Volkswagen Sachsen, explained. “I am very pleased that production is to restart at the Transparent Factory in April 2017. The e-Golf1 in Dresden is a clear message – we are moving into the future,” Thomas Aehlig, Chairman of the Works Council in Dresden, said. “It is important that – as a first step – some of the employees will be returning to Dresden. More steps need to follow.”

Dresden’s Mayor Dirk Hilbert said: “I am very pleased that production is to restart at the Transparent Factory. This will provide a strong signal for Dresden as an industrial location. At long last, we will have a car made in Dresden again, and one with an electric motor. This fits in very well with our vision for the future of the city: ‘Dresden 2030+’. We intend to complete our transformation into a sustainable urban region. For us, future mobility concepts and technologies not only mean autonomous, connected driving but also the use of alternative powertrains, for example in order to reduce emissions. Together, we are on the right track towards the smart city.”

Two weeks ago, Volkswagen Sachsen and Dresden, the Saxon capital, signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement. This states that Dresden is to become a model city for e-mobility, digitalization and innovative fleet management. Specific points covered by the agreement include the comprehensive expansion of charging infrastructure, the changeover of the entire municipal fleet to electric vehicles, innovative car sharing projects and the development of a business incubator for start-ups in the field of mobility services.