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is based on the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB) and has a totally new basis architecture. This makes it possible to install the battery package very deep and flat in the “sandwich floor”. The result: a lower, more dynamic centre of gravity, guaranteeing agility, safety and a healthy portion of driving pleasure. It also creates new possibilities, more room and a new sense of space in the interior.As no motor is installed at the front, allowing an extremely large steering angle, the ID. Buzz is able to make use of another advantage: the turning circle of the electric “Bulli” is just eleven metres – similar to that of the compact Golf. This guarantees driving pleasure in even the tightest of spaces, making it perfectly suited for the city and narrow car parks. Battery replacement vs. battery charging As the range of the T2 electric van was only about 85 kilometres, a highly-innovative – for the time – battery changing system was employed in 1978 during a fleet test with seven T2 in Berlin. At the changing station in the Tiergarten district, it took just five minutes to replace an empty battery with a fully-charged one. This drastically reduced the waiting times of several hours, which would have been required for the charging process. The principle of battery replacement is no longer used these days – not least because charging performance has improved immeasurably. Take the ID. Buzz(((ID.

While the Zwickau plant built more than 100 body versions for previous Golf models, often there are only two variations for the latest electric models. The advantage being more efficient production and reduced costs. 4. Fresh knowledge Volkswagen invested 1.2 billion euros in converting Zwickau, to make it the first major vehicle production plant to only build electric cars. Training all 8,000 of the employees was a key factor. The Zwickau workforce completed more than 20,000 days of electric mobility training – 1,500 employees alone have obtained the high-voltage driving licence. The Zwickau workforce started preparing for their new tasks well before the first electric models entered production – trainer Frank Schönfelder teaches two employees. 5. Even greater pride Zwickau has produced powerful cars such as the Golf and Passat in the past – but electric mobility has made the site a pioneer. “Zwickau has been in the Champions League of automotive engineering since the start-up of the electric models. This is something many people can identify with,” said Frank Schemmel. The additional pride is reflected in high quality and high levels of commitment. 6. Strong team It’s not just the core workforce working at the multi-brand plant in Zwickau – they are supported by teams from Volkswagen, Audi and CUPRA. More than 100 specialists from each brand help with the model start-ups, including experts in production, development, procurement and quality assurance. Even after the vehicle start-ups, Volkswagen experts from other plants, as well as Audi and CUPRA specialists remain at the Zwickau site. Robert Pahlow: “This is hugely beneficial because it allows us to clarify many questions quickly.”

The Golf designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro appeared under the leadership of Rudolf Leiding. “This car not only represented a global breakthrough for the transversely mounted front engine, with front-wheel drive, but also created a whole new class: the ‘Golf class’!” The Golf starts the “turnaround” After differences of opinion about strategy, Hahn left Volkswagen AG in 1973, becoming Chairman of the Board at Continental Gummi-Werke AG in Hanover until 1982. However, the strong connection to Wolfsburg saw him return to assume the position of Chairman of the Board of Management at Volkswagen in 1982 after Toni Schmücker retired due to health concerns. Hahn broke new ground by entering into a spectacular joint venture agreement with China, featuring trial assembly of the new Santana model. “To this day, this model is referred to as ‘The Spirit of Motoring’ in China,” emphasises Hahn. The automotive effect of the Santana in China was similar to that which the Beetle had prompted in Europe. After the GDR had received 10,000 Golfs in exchange for machine tools as part of the compensation transactions of 1977, Hahn worked on developing relations between the two German states. The head of Volkswagen was a big racing fan and pushed the 16V and the legendary G60 versions of the Golf II. In 1988, the sporty Corrado coupé also featured the mechanical G-Lader, followed by the VR6 engine from 1991. The latter was then included in the Golf III, introduced in 1991. “I would have liked to have had the six-cylinder in the Golf II,” reveals Hahn during the reunion with the cars that shaped his life. 16V, G-Lader and Corrado developed under Hahn After leaving the position of Chairman of the Board of Management at the end of 1992, Carl H. Hahn moved onto the Volkswagen AG Supervisory Board, remaining a member until June 1997. He still makes the daily commute to his office in the heart of Wolfsburg, located in the buildings of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg that he initiated.

And now the ID.41 GTX is a vibrant new addition. Color & Trim Designer Mareike Hackbarth explains why red paintwork is such a good fit for Volkswagen models with power and performance. Mareike Hackbarth is delighted as she enters the studio. “I finally get to see the finished version of the car,” she says with a radiant smile as she walks around the ID.4 GTX. She strokes the shiny red paintwork. “How beautiful. The GTX looks really great as a full package.” The designer spent three years working on the car, and this is the first time she has seen the new member of the ID. family in real life. She comes from the world of colours and paintwork. In Volkswagen Design Color & Trim, as part of the MEB team she is responsible for the exterior colours of the all-electric ID. family, where she works on colour concepts, researching trends and futurology. Mareike Hackbarth has brought various work materials with her to the interview and unpacks them: painted sample metal panels, replica models, colour cards, bottles of colour – boxes of red. After all, that is what today is all about. The colour that attracts the most attention and triggers the most emotions. And that has a long, very athletic tradition at Volkswagen: the colour red. The list of shades of red at Volkswagen is long. The first shade of red was Coral Red in 1956, and more followed - usually with enticing names such as Bahia Red, Flash Red, Mars Red, Tornado Red or Salsa Red, and now Kings Red … Why has red been part of the range for so long? When buying a car, after manufacturer and model, the colour is generally the most important deciding factor. The colour red is very expressive. Red is in motion and very dynamic.

The car goes from 0 to 100 in 6.2 seconds, which is faster than the Golf GTI. And because the battery is located like a weight on the floor of the car, the ID.4 GTX has a much lower centre of gravity than conventional SUVs – giving it more contact with the road surface The ID.4 GTX has dual engine four-wheel drive, meaning electric four-wheel drive with two independent electric motors – one on the front axle and one on the rear axle … Bekemeier: … which always springs into action when needed – for example, when the driver wants to experience sporty driving pleasure. However, the electric engine at the rear can handle the drive on its own in most everyday situations. We opted for a permanent magnet synchronous motor here because it is very efficient. However, there is an asynchronous motor on the front axle. This has other advantages – it is very compact and lightweight, and produces only minimal drag losses when it also runs without power. Does this mean the dual engine four-wheel drive is particularly efficient in the ID.4 GTX? Obernolte: Yes, it is. It works without a clutch and drive shaft, so without the large components that cause friction loss in mechanical four-wheel drive. In the ID.4 GTX we only need to switch electricity – but as intelligently and efficiently as possible. This includes making the right recuperation mode – meaning the energy recovery mode – that is most efficient for the driving situation available during deceleration phases. This further reduces consumption and increases the range.

Pro racer Benjamin Leuchter drives a Golf R in everyday life. But it isn’t just the car’s 235 kW (320 PS) that drew him in: Leuchter appreciates the new Golf’s assistance systems. A warm spring morning, an on-site visit in Wolfsburg. Once again, Benjamin “Benny” Leuchter is the first to arrive. Today he guides his Golf R to the agreed meeting place a little bit early. Is this down to his profession? Leuchter is a racing driver. He grins: “Look, only half a tank to drive the 350 kilometres from my home town of Duisburg to here. Not bad for a car with 235 kW!” Leuchter is full of praise for his ‘company car’, particularly its sound and drive. Power and sound are what car fans really love about the top-of-the-range Golf. But that is by no means all. See what the car “sees” Professionally, Leuchter’s main job is to drive cars dynamically. Today, he is demonstrating how his Golf helps him drive – and how it visualises his capabilities. The most digital Golf of all time displays what is happening around the car in its Digital Cockpit Pro. With appealing graphics, it clearly visualises the information, with which the assistance systems are working, how far the digital eyes can see and what exactly it is that they see. “It gives me an in-depth understanding of the assistance systems. I am aware of what the car is observing,” said Leuchter. Some of this is shown by the digital cockpit in the basic version of the new Golf. But the optional driving assistant Travel Assist and its plethora of functions are where things get really exciting. So, a piece of transparency that visualises the technology of the new Golf. This was what the developers at Volkswagen were aiming for. But not only that. For Daniel Basse, function developer of the Travel Assist surroundings model, the fascination with technology is equally important.

In an interview, he discusses GTX, the Volkswagen ID. family’s new performance brand. Why do you attach so much importance to brands – should good products not be able to impress on their own? Strong products form the basis for commercial success. Nevertheless, brands fulfil important standalone functions: brands provide consumers with orientation. They help them to find the most suitable product from a wide selection. This is becoming increasingly important, because there are more and more providers on many markets. Brands ensure recognisability, stability and trust. These are properties that we also value in people. Brands allow us to build an emotional relationship with good products. With the ID.4 GTX, Volkswagen is introducing a new product brand for performance-oriented e-mobility. A good decision? Yes, it makes sense to create a symbol for the sporty character of a car. In the case of the Golf, this worked superbly with the sporty GTI, GTD and GTE models. Customers want to be able to gauge what they are getting, especially in a volatile world. The more expensive a product, the stronger this desire. Companies must meet this need – with their umbrella brands and with product lines like GTX. For 45 years, GTI has been synonymous with powerful petrol engines.

Benjamin “Benny” Leuchter has a long GTI history and was directly involved in the development of the Golf GTI Clubsport 45. Right on time for the Wörthersee GTI fan convention, which has unfortunately been cancelled again in 2021, he introduces the highlights of that car – and meets the most important models of previous generations. A bright blue sky welcomes Benny Leuchter to Wolfsburg on a mild Monday, shortly before the Wörthersee GTI fan convention, which was originally planned for May. The grey parking level, right next to the plant and within sight of Wolfsburg Castle, is about to be upgraded by a piece of Volkswagen history. Eight GTI special editions, from every generation of Golf, have been assembled here – from the Golf 1 GTI Pirelli to the latest member of the GTI family: the Golf GTI Clubsport 45, which is based on the eighth generation of Golf. When the racing driver and Volkswagen test and development driver arrives, he is visibly impressed by the Golf GTI Clubsport 45: “It looks mega. The colour really suits it. With its black accents in a high-gloss finish, the rear wing really comes into its own,” he says, clearly satisfied. “The oval exhaust pipes are framed superbly, and what an awesome size they are. I would definitely tick that on the extras list!”