The Volkswagen Group's research and development units have been investigating the latest mobility trends and challenges and developing solutions for them since the end of the 1980s. We take a top-down approach to defining mobility that also includes its social, economic and ecological framework.
Two trends have influenced global events over the past few years: the growing demand for mobility, especially in emerging and threshold economies, and increasing urbanization. This is leading to increased traffic densities, with their unwanted side effects for people and the environment, such as traffic jams and emissions.
Sustainable road transportation can only be achieved through a combination of adequately developed infrastructures and state-of-the-art technologies. Mobility requirements must also be planned, implemented and monitored in the course of urban and regional development. As a result, close cooperation between everyone involved is needed, from vehicle manufacturers through town planners to transport technology providers.
Volkswagen is also cooperating in this area with universities and research institutes in Germany and abroad. These include ETH Zurich and EMBARQ, the Washington-based World Resources Institute’s Center for Sustainable Transport. The results of these and other cooperative projects are being incorporated into our product and concept development. Examples include Quicar, Volkswagen’s car sharing project, the NILS, an electric commuter vehicle, and eT!, a vehicle concept for the delivery and logistics sector.
