INTERVIEW with Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen Brand, responsible for Research and Development

At the upcoming 15th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2013), the Volkswagen brand will exhibit 31 models. Provided by Shanghai Volkswagen, FAW-Volkswagen and Volkswagen Import, the fleet will have the theme "Think Blue" and will be shown in Hall W5 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The Volkswagen brand has nearly 3,500 square meters of exhibition area, which is the largest amongst the 10 brands featured. As a highlight of Auto Shanghai 2013, Volkswagen will have seven debut models for public exhibition, including two world premiere concept cars and two domestic premiere models, showing Volkswagen's commitment to innovation by exploring new mobility and sustainable development.

In the lead-up to the 15th Shanghai International Auto Show, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of Board of Management Volkswagen Brand for Research and Development, talked to Shanghai Daily about the company's strategies for environmental protection.

With traffic volumes significantly rising in the past decade, cars are blamed for causing the severe environmental pollution in China. What is Volkswagen doing to make automobiles friendlier toward the environment?

We are dedicated to developing innovative products and production technologies in order to meet future demands and to align with Volkswagen Group's commitment to be the most sustainable car maker in 2018. From 2013 to 2015 Volkswagen Group will have a total investment of 9.8 billion euro (US$12.9 billion) in China together with its Joint Ventures. Approximately two-thirds of the total investment will be related to sustainability. We have committed to offer our Chinese customers environmentally friendly products, including BlueMotion and hybrid cars. We introduced a locally produced Golf BlueMotion last year. The Start-Stop and Energy-Recuperation functions will effectively improve fuel-efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. We will bring more BlueMotion models to China in the near future.

To make our cars more environmentally friendly, we are looking at two factors: low-carbon emissions and high fuel-efficiency. The New Golf is highly regarded in these two aspects, with up to 100kg reduction in weight and the carbon emission reduction up to 23 percent. It recently won the "Car of the Year 2013" award in Europe and also became "World Car of the Year 2013".

As well as saving energy, we also have many detailed tasks to introduce to car technologies in order to be more environmentally friendly. This attention to detail is important because these small things add up to make big improvements.

Volkswagen has said in recent years that it will introduce electric technology to China. What is the situation now?

Volkswagen Group China has set itself a target of becoming China's leading automaker in environmental terms. For this strategic goal, the Group has developed guidelines to ensure environmentally compatible production processes and the continuous reduction of emissions. For example, fleet consumption has been reduced by 20 percent since 2005 through the use of BlueMotion Technologies. From 2013–2015, we plan to reduce the fuel consumption of the Volkswagen fleet in China by 11 percent in average.

Volkswagen is also forging ahead with electro-mobility in China and plans to introduce electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles in China from 2014/15 as part of our energy saving strategy, tailored to the Chinese market. The GolfBlue-e-Motion and the Touareg Hybrid were introduced in 2010 and the first electric test fleet of the Volkswagen Brand went onto the streets of Beijing in March 2011.

Why is Volkswagen convinced that the plug-in hybrid car is more suitable for China?

We believe that the plug-in hybrid car is one of the best solutions for the Chinese market considering the current conditions. China is a country with a mixture of mega cities and large landscapes, which also means a mixture of urban traffic and long distance driving. Current pure electric vehicles are actually limited to 150 to 200 km. The extreme climate conditions in China could influence this range by the need of using cooling or heating systems. Therefore, according to an objective assessment of conditions in China, we believe that the plug-in hybrid car is the right direction in order to meet the diversified regional market demands in China.

The development of innovative technologies requires a huge investment. What are the future investment plans for Volkswagen, especially in China?

Volkswagen Group aims to become the most ecological and economic sustainable auto manufacturer in China, moreover in the world. In order to realize our mission, two-thirds of the total investment in China of 9.8 billion euros from 2013 to 2015 will be used for developing ecological efficient technologies, driving systems, innovative products and other environmentally sustainable production technologies.

In 2007, Volkswagen set up an environmental "Powertrain Strategy" and successfully reduced 20 percent of powertrain emissions by 2010. Is there any new specific target for Volkswagen to reduce emissions?

The Volkswagen Group will aim to reach the emission target set by EU legislation of an average of 95 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer by 2020. This makes Volkswagen Group the first automaker to commit to this ambitious target. I guarantee that we will do everything in our power to reach carbon dioxide emissions of 95 grams.

In China, we have set a target (2013-2015) to reduce the fleet CO2 emission by 23.5 percent. We will continuously launch new products with Blue Motion technology.

We are orienting Volkswagen towards maximum energy and resource efficiency. We are well on our way to making our Group the world's leading automaker in environmental terms. In order to reach the target, we will develop advanced and non-traditional powertrains.

We saw many concept models and advanced technologies at the recent Geneva Auto Show. What will Volkswagen bring to the Shanghai International Auto Show?

Volkswagen will bring our best and most innovative models and technologies to the Shanghai Auto Show.

As well as the new models from our two partners, we will also present some concept cars, including the iBeetle and a SUV-Concept, the CrossBlue Coupé. The highlighted CrossBlue Coupé is a plug-in hybrid car, which has Zero emission in the city and enjoys the fuel efficiency of a small car. This concept car is equipped with the most advanced all-road gearbox in the world, with 305kw/415 horsepower, fuel-consumption of 3.0L/100km and a pure-electric range of currently 33km.The next step is planned to be a 50km-range . This demonstrates Volkswagen's innovative concept in exploring new mobility and sustainable development.

"Think Blue" is still our main theme for the auto show. We hope consumers can appreciate not only the newest models, but also this unique experience during the show. BlueMotion is a low-carbon solution with the most practical significance.

Technologies like Volkswagen's start-stop and energy-recuperation systems increase the car's fuel efficiency in an urban environment and reduce emissions.

A sustainable future is not only about environmentally friendly cars and technologies. It is also about people's environmental awareness and every little detail in life in order to provide a blue future.

The world's most fuel-efficient car, the XL1, has been a pioneer to present Volkswagen innovative technologies. In 2013, the XL1 is now officially in production. Will we have the opportunity to see this model during Auto Shanghai 2013?

I believe this revolutionary model will amaze the public at Auto Shanghai 2013.

For many years Volkswagen has worked intensively on a production-ready, one litre car. The current XL1 has a plug-in-hybrid with a TDI engine, dual-clutch transmission, an electric motor and packs the highest efficiency into the smallest space. The electric endurance is up to 50 kilometers.

The XL1 by Volkswagen is the most efficient of all production cars with a fuel consumption of 0.9 l/100 km, for CO2 emissions of just 21g per km. The shape of the XL1 is subject to aerodynamic requirements. The wider front allows the occupants to sit next to each other. Extremely lightweight carbon fibre materials and side windows made of polycarbonate not only save weight, they also ensure safety.

Volkswagen has proved with the XL1 that it is possible to develop a one litre car that can be put into series production. Some of the technologies developed for the XL1 will be used in other series in the future. The genetic code of the XL1 power train, for example, will be transferred to the Golf with plug-in-hybrid powertrain.

At the moment Volkswagen looks to be in some difficulties with the recall of some DSG vehicles in March. Will Volkswagen abandon the DSG in China?

We are confident in our technologies including DSG. DSG is a new, innovative technology in the global automotive industry. Our fuel efficient DSG technology was developed in Germany. Since 2010, DSG has also been produced in Dalian, China. This demonstrates the deep commitment of Volkswagen Group to the Chinese market in bringing globally advanced technology for local production in China.

Why did it take so long for Volkswagen to announce the recall? Can the solutions in this recall solve the DSG problem?

The solution will solve the DSG issues which prompted this recall. Our engineers have studied the reported symptoms in detail and tested measures at different road and climatic conditions in order to obtain the correct solution.