Pounding electronic beat, staccato robot choreography, innovative models for the automotive world of tomorrow – the Volkswagen Group thrilled the international media with a powerful and dynamic performance at the Group Night on the eve of the Geneva International Motor Show. There was a special round of very enthusiastic applause for the top electro-DJs and for the vehicles making their world premiere on the stage – especially the Volkswagen Sport Coupé Concept GTE. This high-tech concept car gave the first glimpse of Volkswagen’s new progressive design language. That was not the only premiere Europe's largest automaker showcased at this, Europe's most important motor show: with the lineup of new models from all the other Group brands as well, the company presented itself as the clear leader of an industry which is on the verge of enormous change. "Moving Technology", the motto for the evening, reflected that. Speaking to an invited audience of some 1,200, including representatives from the international media as well as guests from industry, culture and politics, CEO Martin Winterkorn said Volkswagen was already an innovation think tank: "We already have the right vehicles today for the automobile world of tomorrow." Ten snow-white industrial robots – just like the ones used at Volkswagen Group factories all over the world – set the stage for the thrilling performance. Their tentacle-like arms choreographed the rhythmical movements of ten giant screens as each brand made its entrance, conjuring up a picture gallery just like the ones found in a museum, painting a night-time city landscape, or simply creating explosions of color reminiscent of an artist's studio. The classy robotic ballet was accompanied by live music from top performers of the techno scene – above all Stefan Obermaier and the Booka Shade duo, famous pioneers of electronic music. Young, dynamic, powerful – that very aptly describes not only the Group Night sound, but also the models that made their debut in Geneva yesterday evening. A bright yellow Porsche GT4 (1), for instance, or the 750 PS Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce (2), the Audi R8V10 (3) and the world premiere of the Bentley elegant sportscar concept – each model a real eye-catcher, a guaranteed crowd-puller. The focus was less on horsepower and more on innovations – very much in keeping with the "Moving Technology" motto. Each of the showcased cars embodies innovations such as lightweight construction, the very latest hybrid technology, a new design language, or works wonders with space like the new Caddy (4) or the new Touran (5) from Volkswagen – another of the evening's highlights. In his closing speech, Winterkorn said technological progress could make the world a better place. He added that the Volkswagen Group was the world's biggest R&D; spender and stated that, with 46,000 researchers and developers and over 10,000 IT experts, Volkswagen was at the forefront of automotive change. This also includes the "Future Tracks" efficiency program announced in Geneva a year ago which is currently being rolled out throughout the Group to make it fit for the future. The Geneva International Motor Show (March 5 – 15) is the first big European event in the 2015 auto calendar and welcomes around 700,000 visitors each year. Fuel consumption of cars named above (1) Porsche Cayman GT4 – fuel consumption in l/100 km: urban 14.8 / extra urban 7.8 / combined 10.3; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 238; efficiency class: G (2) Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce – fuel consumption in l/100 km: urban 24.7 / extra urban 10.7 / combined 16.0; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 370; efficiency class: G (3) Audi R8 V10 – fuel consumption combined in l/100 km: 12.4–11,8; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 289–275; efficiency class: G (4) Volkswagen Caddy 4 Highline 1.4 TSI – fuel consumption combined in l/100 km: 5.8; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 135; efficiency class: B (5) Volkswagen Touran Highline 2.0 TDI BMT – The vehicle has not yet gone on sale. It does not yet have type approval and therefore Directive 1999/94/EC does not apply. Provisional values: fuel consumption combined in l/100 km: 4.5–4.4; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 118–115 ------------------ More films and information about the Volkswagen Group are to be found: On the Volkswagen Group Website: http://www.volkswagenag.com On the Volkswagen Group YouTube-channel: http://www.youtube.com/volkswagengroup Note in accordance with Directive 1999/94/EC in its currently applicable version: Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the EU guide "Information on the fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy consumption of new cars", which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships, from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Straße 1, D-73760 Ostfildern, Germany and at www.dat.de.

• published: 13 Mar 2015
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