Key events

Diesel issue

On September 18, 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publicly announced in a “Notice of Violation” that irregularities in relation to nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions had been discovered in emissions tests on certain Volkswagen Group vehicles with 2.0 l diesel engines in the USA. In this context, Volkswagen AG announced that noticeable discrepancies between the figures recorded in testing and those measured in actual road use had been identified in around eleven million vehicles worldwide with type EA 189 diesel engines. On November 2, 2015, the EPA issued a “Notice of Violation” alleging that irregularities had also been discovered in the software installed in US vehicles with type V6 3.0 l diesel engines.

The so-called diesel issue is rooted in a modification of parts of the software of the relevant engine control units – which, according to Volkswagen AG’s legal position, is only unlawful under US law – for the type EA 189 diesel engines that Volkswagen AG was developing at that time. The decision to develop and install this software function was taken in late 2006 below Board of Management level. No member of the Board of Management had, at that time and for many years to follow, knowledge of the development and implementation of this software function.

There are furthermore no findings that, following the publication in May 2014 of the study by the International Council on Clean Transportation, an unlawful “defeat device” under US law was disclosed either to the Ausschuss für Produktsicherheit (Product Safety Committee) or to the persons responsible for preparing the 2014 annual and consolidated financial statements as the cause of the high NOx emissions in certain US vehicles with 2.0 l type EA 189 diesel engines. Rather, at the time the 2014 annual and consolidated financial statements were being prepared, the persons responsible for preparing these financial statements remained under the impression that the issue could be resolved with comparatively little expense.

In the course of the summer of 2015, however, it became progressively apparent to individual members of Volkswagen AG’s Board of Management that the cause of the discrepancies in the USA was a modification of parts of the software of the engine control unit that was later identified as an unlawful “defeat device” as defined by US law. This culminated in Volkswagen’s disclosure of a “defeat device” to the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, a department of the Environmental Protection Agency of the State of California, on September 3, 2015. According to the assessment at the time by the responsible persons dealing with the matter, the magnitude of the costs expected to result for the Volkswagen Group (recall costs, retrofitting costs, and financial penalties) was not fundamentally dissimilar to that in previous cases involving other vehicle manufacturers. It therefore appeared to be manageable overall considering the business activities of the Volkswagen Group. This assessment by Volkswagen AG was based, among other things, on the advice of a law firm engaged in the USA for regulatory approval issues, according to which similar cases had in the past been amicably resolved with the US authorities. The EPA’s publication of the “Notice of Violation” on September 18, 2015, which the Board of Management had not expected, especially at that time, then presented the situation in an entirely different light.

In fiscal year 2020, additional expenses of €0.9 billion had to be recognized in this context, primarily related to legal risks.

Further information on the litigation in connection with the diesel issue can be found in the “Litigation” section.

Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic

By causing a global decline in demand – driven among other factors by measures taken by governments in the form of restrictions on trade in motor vehicles – as well as temporary production stoppages, the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the Volkswagen Group’s net assets, financial position and results of operations in fiscal year 2020. Since the Covid-19 pandemic still persists at the beginning of 2021, effects on the net assets, financial position and results of operations are again expected for 2021. Please also refer to our comments in the 2020 group management report, specifically in the chapters entitled Business Development, Results of Operations, Financial Position and Net Assets, Report on Expected Developments and Report on Risks and Opportunities.

During the preparation of the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic had to be analyzed, in particular in the following areas:

  • The impairment testing of nonfinancial assets, especially goodwill, acquired brand names, as well as some capitalized development costs and property, plant and equipment, took the planning influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic into consideration. No need to recognize significant impairment losses was identified.
  • The impairment tests on lease assets identified no material impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on forecast residual values for the vehicles for the entire Group.
  • Impairment tests conducted on financial assets, taking adjusted default expectations into account, did not identify any need for material additional impairment losses.
  • The review of the impact of changes in the timings and amounts of hedged items caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on the effectiveness and accounting treatment of hedges did not identify any material factors with an impact on profits.
  • The turbulence in the commodity and capital markets had an impact particularly on the treatment of derivatives to which hedge accounting is not applied and the measurement of receivables and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies, sometimes with offsetting consequences.

For more information on these areas, please also refer to our additional comments in the “Accounting policies” section and in the notes to the relevant income statement items.

Material Transactions

On July 12, 2019, Volkswagen announced that, together with Ford Motor Company (Ford), it would be investing in Argo AI, a company that is working on the development of a system for autonomous driving. The investment involves the provision of financial resources totaling USD 1.0 billion, spread over several years, and the contribution by Volkswagen of its consolidated subsidiary Autonomous Intelligent Driving (AID). Furthermore, Volkswagen acquired existing Argo AI shares from Ford for a purchase price of USD 500 million, payable in three equal annual installments. The transaction, including the contribution of AID, was executed as of June 1, 2020. After proportional profit elimination, the contribution of AID to Argo AI at fair value resulted in a non-cash gain of €0.8 billion, which was recognized in the other operating result. Argo AI is accounted for as a joint venture and included in the consolidated financial statements using the equity method.

As part of the planned squeeze-out at AUDI AG under the German Stock Corporation Act, Volkswagen AG announced on June 16, 2020 that the cash compensation for the transfer of the shares held by minority shareholders had been set at €1,551.53 per share. On July 31, 2020, the Annual General Meeting of AUDI AG approved the squeeze-out under stock corporation law at AUDI AG and thus the transfer of all outstanding Audi shares to Volkswagen AG. Following the resolution, the present value of the put options granted, amounting to approximately €0.2 billion, had to be recognized as a current liability not affecting net income. The noncontrolling interests in the Volkswagen Group’s equity and the retained earnings attributable to the shareholders of Volkswagen AG declined accordingly. This resolution took effect upon its entry in the commercial register on November 16, 2020. In December 2020, a former shareholder of AUDI AG initiated award proceedings against Volkswagen AG at the Munich I Regional Court, asking the court to review the amount of the cash settlement offered by Volkswagen AG.

On October 6, 2020, the Volkswagen Group completed the sale of its 76% interest in Renk AG following the required regulatory approvals. The sale price was €0.5 billion. The transaction generated an operating profit of €0.1 billion, which is reported in other operating result. It also resulted in an increase in net liquidity of €0.4 billion.

In fiscal year 2020, the Volkswagen Group took part in a capital increase at QuantumScape Corporation, a US-based company that develops solid-state batteries, entering into forward purchase agreements for new shares. The capital contribution comprises two tranches of USD 100 million each. The first tranche was already executed in December 2020. Execution of the second tranche is subject to a technical milestone being reached. Since there has meanwhile been a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which resulted in a listing on the New York Stock Exchange, the forward purchases are measured with reference to the share price of QuantumScape Corporation until the contribution has been made and the new shares have been issued. The measurement and realization resulted in a non-cash gain of €1.4 billion in fiscal year 2020, which is reported in the other financial result under gains and losses from changes in the fair value of hedges/derivatives to which hedge accounting is not applied.