The Vibrant Brand "Volkswagen"
Volkswagen[/b]
Volkswagen (abbreviated VW) is one of the world's largest [/b]automobile manufacturers. The company is headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Volkswagen is the original marque within the Volkswagen Group, which includes the car marques Audi, Bentley Motors, Bugatti Automobiles, Automobili Lamborghini, SEAT, Škoda Auto and heavy goods vehicle manufacturer Scania.[/b]
Historical Figures:[/b][/b]
Volkswagen Group Sales by selected Markets 1994 - 1997
Volkswagen Group Production 1998 - 2001
Volkswagen Group Deliveries by Regions 1998 - 2000
Region Europe
Region North America
Region South America / Africa
Region Asia / Pacific
Volkswagen Group: Production by model 1996
Volkswagen: Sales in the U.S. 1998
Volkswagen Passenger Cars deliveries by selected markets 1993 – 2000
Volkswagen heads towards emotionalization, Volkswagen is going into niches, and there will be no area, which is a no go for Volkswagen[/i][/b][/i][/b]
History/ Development so far[/b][/b]
1945: British Army, Major Ivan Hirst, unclear future
1945 to 1948: survival in Allied-occupied Germany
1948 onwards: icon for the West German regeneration
1961 to 1973: product line expansion
1974: from Beetle to Golf/Rabbit
1974 to 1990: entering the mainstream
1991 to 2000: moving up market
2001 to date: model range expansion
Volkswagen has factories in many parts of the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for local markets. Volkswagen has manufacturing or assembly plants in Germany, China, India, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and South Africa. Volkswagen also has plans to open a new plant in the United States.
Strengths[/b] ·
VW has boosted quality more than any other carmaker in the past five years, cutting defects by 60% ·
The new Beetle has injected buzz into the brand, luring buyers into dealerships where they're also snapping up Passats, Jettas, and Audis ·
VW's share price climbed 36% last year, nearly double the pace of the overall German market ·
In the US, where VW ADRs trade over the counter, VW outperformed GM ·
Piëch has a "name", and had acquire a lot of experience running Audi ·
VW managers attend test drives, and therefore know exactly their different products
· Their "family culture", no leading brand ·
A non-stop requirement for the new projects ·
Cost-control with the purchasing list ·
Own seven different car brands, offering two broad categories, one for the traditional driver and one for the performance-minded driver. ·
Hide financial results through German accounting principles
Weaknesses[/b] ·
VW still trails Toyota, Mercedes, Nissan, and Honda in overall quality ·
VW is suffering from a bad image of its management department eventhough they have done an incredible work; Piëch has no relational skills, especially with the press
They have the same problem inside the company, due to the fact that Piëch has put his own team in place when he arrived, firing all potential enemies ·
Piëch blurs the line between his family interests and those of VW ·
Bad publicity due to the sue from GM ·
VW's cost of capital is relatively higher than Daimler's ·
VW bungled its communications with investors
Opportunities[/b]
·Take advantage of the attractiveness of the new Beetle to get customers into point of sales
· Growth potential in the American market, last year American sales rose to their highest level in 17 years, with a 59% increase for VW and a 39% increase for Audi
· Due to its very good results on the stock exchange, VW may expect to attract numerous new investors
· Potential cost decrease with their production strategy - five platforms only
Threats[/b]
· A softening in auto sales in Europe and South America in projected for 1999
· Risk of self-cannibalization between VW's brands, like top of the line VW's models and bottom of the line Audi's
· Risk of brand dilution, confusion between the VW Passat and the Audi A4
Superior value, social responsibility and a practical commitment to sustainability are hallmarks of our corporate culture. We take a far-sighted approach to the key issues of the future, such as climate change. We pursue a broad range of research and development activities and generate the pioneering technology that the mobility of the future will demand. The innovations that they have come up with are, Dual Clutch Gearbox, Auto Hold function, TDI, Electronic Stabilization Program etc. With its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra (India), the Volkswagen Group is represented by three brands in India: Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity in the market. The Group operates 60 production plants around the world. In total more than 370,000 employees produce more than 26,600 vehicles or are involved in vehicle-related services each working day. Car buyers are still in the process of understanding its values and image hence the car makers are likely to face risk.
Volkswagen[/b]
Volkswagen (abbreviated VW) is one of the world's largest [/b]automobile manufacturers. The company is headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Volkswagen is the original marque within the Volkswagen Group, which includes the car marques Audi, Bentley Motors, Bugatti Automobiles, Automobili Lamborghini, SEAT, Škoda Auto and heavy goods vehicle manufacturer Scania.[/b]
Historical Figures:[/b][/b]
Volkswagen Group Sales by selected Markets 1994 - 1997
Volkswagen Group Production 1998 - 2001
Volkswagen Group Deliveries by Regions 1998 - 2000
Region Europe
Region North America
Region South America / Africa
Region Asia / Pacific
Volkswagen Group: Production by model 1996
Volkswagen: Sales in the U.S. 1998
Volkswagen Passenger Cars deliveries by selected markets 1993 – 2000
Volkswagen heads towards emotionalization, Volkswagen is going into niches, and there will be no area, which is a no go for Volkswagen[/i][/b][/i][/b]
History/ Development so far[/b][/b]
1945: British Army, Major Ivan Hirst, unclear future
1945 to 1948: survival in Allied-occupied Germany
1948 onwards: icon for the West German regeneration
1961 to 1973: product line expansion
1974: from Beetle to Golf/Rabbit
1974 to 1990: entering the mainstream
1991 to 2000: moving up market
2001 to date: model range expansion
Volkswagen has factories in many parts of the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for local markets. Volkswagen has manufacturing or assembly plants in Germany, China, India, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and South Africa. Volkswagen also has plans to open a new plant in the United States.
Strengths[/b] ·
VW has boosted quality more than any other carmaker in the past five years, cutting defects by 60% ·
The new Beetle has injected buzz into the brand, luring buyers into dealerships where they're also snapping up Passats, Jettas, and Audis ·
VW's share price climbed 36% last year, nearly double the pace of the overall German market ·
In the US, where VW ADRs trade over the counter, VW outperformed GM ·
Piëch has a "name", and had acquire a lot of experience running Audi ·
VW managers attend test drives, and therefore know exactly their different products
· Their "family culture", no leading brand ·
A non-stop requirement for the new projects ·
Cost-control with the purchasing list ·
Own seven different car brands, offering two broad categories, one for the traditional driver and one for the performance-minded driver. ·
Hide financial results through German accounting principles
Weaknesses[/b] ·
VW still trails Toyota, Mercedes, Nissan, and Honda in overall quality ·
VW is suffering from a bad image of its management department eventhough they have done an incredible work; Piëch has no relational skills, especially with the press
They have the same problem inside the company, due to the fact that Piëch has put his own team in place when he arrived, firing all potential enemies ·
Piëch blurs the line between his family interests and those of VW ·
Bad publicity due to the sue from GM ·
VW's cost of capital is relatively higher than Daimler's ·
VW bungled its communications with investors
Opportunities[/b]
·Take advantage of the attractiveness of the new Beetle to get customers into point of sales
· Growth potential in the American market, last year American sales rose to their highest level in 17 years, with a 59% increase for VW and a 39% increase for Audi
· Due to its very good results on the stock exchange, VW may expect to attract numerous new investors
· Potential cost decrease with their production strategy - five platforms only
Threats[/b]
· A softening in auto sales in Europe and South America in projected for 1999
· Risk of self-cannibalization between VW's brands, like top of the line VW's models and bottom of the line Audi's
· Risk of brand dilution, confusion between the VW Passat and the Audi A4
Superior value, social responsibility and a practical commitment to sustainability are hallmarks of our corporate culture. We take a far-sighted approach to the key issues of the future, such as climate change. We pursue a broad range of research and development activities and generate the pioneering technology that the mobility of the future will demand. The innovations that they have come up with are, Dual Clutch Gearbox, Auto Hold function, TDI, Electronic Stabilization Program etc. With its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra (India), the Volkswagen Group is represented by three brands in India: Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity in the market. The Group operates 60 production plants around the world. In total more than 370,000 employees produce more than 26,600 vehicles or are involved in vehicle-related services each working day. Car buyers are still in the process of understanding its values and image hence the car makers are likely to face risk.