Business Development

VEHICLE SALES

Volkswagen AG sold a total of 1,941,821 (2,580,553) vehicles in fiscal year 2020. This decrease is essentially due to the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vehicles sold abroad accounted for a share of 64.9 (67.6)%.

PRODUCTION

Volkswagen AG produced a total of 792,393 vehicles at its vehicle production plants in Wolfsburg, Hanover and Emden in the reporting period (−25.9%).

EMPLOYEES

As of December 31, 2020, a total of 118,673 (119,204) people were employed at the sites of Volkswagen AG, excluding staff employed at subsidiaries. Of this figure, 4,848 (5,029) were vocational trainees. 6,210 (5,254) employees were in the passive phase of their partial retirement.

Female employees accounted for 17.8 (17.6)% of the workforce. Volkswagen AG employed 7,002 (6,551) part-time workers. The percentage of foreign employees was 6.4 (6.4)%. In the reporting period, 83.1 (83.2)% of the employees in Volkswagen AG’s production area were in possession of vocational or additional training. The proportion of graduates was 20.7 (20.1)% in the same period. The average age of employees in fiscal year 2020 was 44.5 (44.2) years.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Volkswagen AG’s research and development costs as defined in the German Commercial Code amounted to €5.9 (6.1) billion in the reporting period. 13,547 (13,378) people were employed in this area at the end of the reporting period.

EXPENDITURE ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

When measuring expenditure on environmental protection, a distinction is made between investments and operating costs for production-related environmental protection measures. Of our total investments, only those that are spent exclusively or primarily on environmental protection are included in environmental protection investments. We distinguish here between additive and integrated investments. Additive environmental protection measures are separate measures upstream or downstream of the production process. In contrast to additive environmental protection measures, integrated measures already reduce the environmental impact during the production process. In 2020 we invested primarily in climate protection and in soil and water pollution control.

The recognized operating costs relate to measures that protect the environment against harmful factors by avoiding, reducing, or eliminating emissions by the Company. Resources are also conserved. For example, these include expenditures incurred to operate equipment that protects the environment, as well as expenditures for measures not relating to such equipment. As in previous years, the emphasis in 2020 was on sewage and waste management.

OPERATING COSTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AT VOLKSWAGEN AG 2020
Share of environmental protection areas in percent

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OF VOLKSWAGEN AG

As the parent of the Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen AG is fundamentally subject to the same expected developments and risks and opportunities. The forecast is explained in the chapter entitled “Report on Expected Developments” and the risks and opportunities in the chapter entitled “Report on Risks and Opportunities” of this annual report.

RISKS ARISING FROM FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Risks for Volkswagen AG arising from the use of financial instruments are generally the same as those to which the Volkswagen Group is exposed. An explanation of these risks can be found in the chapter “Report on Risks and Opportunities” of this annual report.

DEPENDENT COMPANY REPORT

The Board of Management of Volkswagen AG has submitted to the Supervisory Board the report required by section 312 of the Aktiengesetz (AktG – German Stock Corporation Act) and issued the following concluding declaration:

“We declare that, based on the circumstances known to us at the time when the transactions with affiliated companies within the meaning of section 312 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) were entered into, our Company received appropriate consideration for each transaction. No transactions with third parties or measures were either undertaken or omitted on the instructions of or in the interests of Porsche or other affiliated companies in the reporting period.”

The Annual Financial Statements of Volkswagen AG (in accordance with the German Commercial Code) can be accessed from the electronic company register at www.unternehmensregister.de.