Matthias Müller: We have launched the biggest change process in Volkswagen’s history

• Speaking to around 3,000 shareholders in Hanover, Müller reaffirms multi-billion euro investment in an “electrification initiative second to none in the industry”

• Autonomous driving, digitalization and new business fields such as mobility services are also focal areas

• Volkswagen Group will successively equip new TSI and TFSI engines with gasoline particulate filters from June 2017

• Recall gathers speed with approval from the Federal Transport Authority for more than 3.7 million vehicles

• The Group is to become a model for a modern, transparent and successfully company in terms of “Integrity & Legal Affairs

”Matthias Müller, the CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, presented “TOGETHER – Strategy 2025”, the Company's vision for the next decade, to approximately 3,000 shareholders at the 56th Annual General Meeting in Hanover in Hall 3 of Messe Hannover. At the same time, he reaffirmed that the Company would invest billions over the coming years in a major “electrification initiative second to none in the industry” as well as in autonomous driving, digitalization and new business fields such as mobility services.

“We are also continuing our intensive efforts to enhance the environmental compatibility of our diesel and gasoline models,” Müller said and then announced another milestone related to the internal combustion engine. “We will successively equip the Group's new TSI and TFSI engines with gasoline particulate filters. This initiative will begin with the 1.4 liter TSI engine* in the new VW Tiguan and the Audi A5 in June 2017. This will reduce particulate emissions by up to 90 percent. Up to 7 million Volkswagen vehicles could be equipped with this technology each year by 2022.”