Volkswagen Group Strategy Calls for 1 Million NGVs by 2025

The Volkswagen Group and its industrial partners—including gas suppliers, grid operators, and natural gas station operators—are continuing their successful brand and information campaign in 2018. Since the start of the cross-brand campaign in spring 2017, the campaign alliance has significantly enhanced the status of CNG for individual mobility in Germany. The current registration figures from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority confirm that CNG engines are currently seeing the greatest growth amongst all engine types, including diesel and electric.

This year, Volkswagen Group is introducing the SEAT Arona, the latest CNG vehicle in the company’s offerings, that will grow the available models of CNG-powered passenger cars across all the brands in the Volkswagen Group to 18. There are also vehicles powered by natural gas in the subsidiary company Volkswagen Truck & Bus, which includes the brands MAN and Scania, making the Volkswagen Group the biggest supplier of CNG models.

New impetus has been given to the brand and information offensive with the recent extension of the campaign as biomethane producer VERBIO, automotive supplier MAHLE, grid operator EWE NETZ and lightweight alloy component manufacturer Hexagon xperion have joined the industrial consortium for CNG vehicles. This development has in turn been strengthened by the marketing campaign for the Audi g-tron models.

“The campaign alliance is an impressive success story and all of us have good reason to look to the future with confidence,” said Jens Andersen, Head of Technology Strategy and Group Officer for CNG Mobility at the Volkswagen Group.

The expansion of CNG mobility is an important building block for the Volkswagen Group as it implements the realignment adopted in the context of the “TOGETHER – Strategy 2025” future program for its portfolio of power units. Today, CNG models are already making an effective contribution to the reduction of emissions in road traffic and they have CO₂, nitrogen oxide, and fine-dust values that are significantly below those of gasoline and diesel engines.

Together with the industrial consortium CNG Mobility, the Volkswagen Group is striving to bring about a tenfold increase in the number of CNG vehicles registered in Germany to around one million by the year 2025. In parallel with this, the number of CNG filling stations is projected to expand in Germany from the current level of around 860 to 2,000 stations.

Since July 2017, the registration figures have been growing continuously. In January 2018, they were 370.7 percent above the equivalent year-earlier level. More CNG models were registered than ever be-fore in one month. This means that the CNG engine is currently the fastest growing form of power unit.

The Volkswagen Group additionally rewards conversion to a low-CO₂ vehicle with a special bonus. As well as the environmental premium provided, customers will also receive a future premium of 2,000 euros if they purchase a CNG model before March 31, 2018.

The latest CNG product portfolio of the Volkswagen Group and other information is available here.