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The Volkswagen Group reached new records for deliveries, sales revenue and profit last year. “For the Volkswagen Group, 2007 was by far the most successful year in the Company’s history,” said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, at the presentation of the Company’s 2007 financial results in Wolfsburg on Thursday. “We have impressively demonstrated the unique potential that this Company has to offer. This is also reflected in very concrete form in our key figures.” Sales revenue grew by 3.8 percent to €108.9 billion, and operating profit more than trebled to around €6.2 billion. At €6.5 billion, the target of €5.1 billion profit before tax originally planned for 2008 was substantially exceeded. “This significant improvement in earnings is a result of the success of our products and our strict cost and investment discipline,” said CFO Hans Dieter Pötsch. With a return on investment of 9.5 percent in the Automotive Division – following 2.1 percent in the previous year – Volkswagen not only earned its cost of capital, but also exceeded its own minimum required rate of return of 9 percent.

The effects of the new model rollout were evident: With around 6.2 million vehicles delivered worldwide, the Group beat the previous year’s figure by 8 percent and set a new all-time record. All eight of the Group’s brands contributed to this growth.

The Board of Management has defined ambitious goals for the future. “We want to deliver 8 million Group vehicles to our customers by 2011,” Winterkorn said. In the coming years, the Volkswagen Group is to be put on an even more international footing. The Group will focus systematically on mobility solutions for individual countries. “We will be tailoring our vehicles precisely to regional customer requirements.” The Volkswagen Group also wants to extend its position in the established markets in Western Europe, Germany and North America.

To accomplish this, more than 20 additional new models will be launched in the period up to 2010. The Group will significantly expand its model portfolio with this product rollout, and will occupy segments such as SUVs, vans and pickups more actively than before.

The new model rollout will be accompanied by a significant increase in productivity, which is expected to rise by around 10 percent a year in automobile production. The “Volkswagen Way” and the continuous improvement process it incorporates are key instruments that the Group will systematically drive forward and use.

Environmental protection remains a top priority for Europe’s largest automobile manufacturer. The Company’s goal is to reduce dependence on finite fuels such as oil and gas. Volkswagen will achieve this, for example, by optimizing its TDI and TSI engines in combination with the innovative direct shift gearbox. At the same time, the Group is conducting research into alternative powertrains such as hybrid engines, fuel cells and plug-in electric drives. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, Volkswagen showcased a Golf TDI hybrid study that uses only 3.4 litres of diesel, with CO2 emissions of 89 g/km.

The Volkswagen Group has also underscored its involvement in the commercial vehicles business by acquiring a majority voting stake in Swedish truck manufacturer Scania AB. “For Scania, this is a historic step towards a clear, long-term shareholder structure. We are committed to Scania and the Scania team. Together, we will harness our market opportunities even more effectively,” the Chairman of the Board of Management said.

Winterkorn also welcomed the announcement that the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE has endorsed an increase in the company’s shareholding in Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft: “We look forward to even closer cooperation soon.”

2008 got off to a buoyant start. Deliveries to customers of 952,500 vehicles in January and February exceeded the previous year’s figure by 10.5 percent. Delivery trends for the Volkswagen, Škoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands were particularly gratifying.

Winterkorn is confident about the rest of the year: As a result of the expected increase in unit sales, the Volkswagen Group’s sales revenue in 2008 will be higher year-on-year. The further optimization of processes and continued systematic cost discipline will also have a positive impact on earnings development. “Overall, we expect the Volkswagen Group’s 2008 operating profit to exceed the 2007 level,” Winterkorn said.

However, there will be no support from global economic growth because expectations are for lower growth rates than in 2007. “The environment we are operating in is not making it any easier for us,” said Winterkorn. “The Volkswagen Group has a medium-term target for return on investment in the Automotive Division of over 10 percent. A condition for this is continued disciplined management of costs and investments,“ according to Pötsch.