Empresas y finanzas

Volkswagen AG: Interim Report January-September 2006



    Volkswagen AG:

    Interim Report January-September 2006:

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    -- Increase in Volkswagen Group operating profit before special items
    of 62.0% year-on-year to EUR 3.0 billion in the period January to
    September 2006, but still below our medium-term Group target

    -- Negative one-off effects mainly from restructuring expenses and
    positive one-off factors from the sale of equity investments
    reduced Automotive Division operating profit by a net EUR 1.7
    billion

    -- At EUR 628 million, Automotive Division operating profit after
    special items 43.9% lower than in previous year; Financial Services
    operating profit remains at high prior-year level

    -- Gain on sale of Europcar in the second quarter reported as profit
    from discontinued operations in the consolidated income statement;
    cash generated by the sale strengthens Automotive Division net
    liquidity

    -- Special items reduced consolidated pre-tax profit from continuing
    operations by 7.1% to EUR 937 million year-on-year

    -- Consolidated profit after tax rises 76.6% year-on-year to EUR 1.2
    billion (previous year: EUR 0.7 billion), even with an
    above-average tax rate for continuing activities due to substantial
    special items

    -- Ratio of investments in property, plant and equipment (capex) to
    sales revenue in the Automotive Division at 3.1% (previous year:
    4.4%)

    -- At EUR 8.2 billion, net liquidity in the Automotive Division
    remains at a high level

    -- Collective bargaining agreement reached for the restructuring of
    Volkswagen AG's six traditional plants

    -- New model initiative successfully continued:

    -- Deliveries to customers worldwide up by 10.3% year-on-year to
    4.3 million vehicles; market share in Germany and Western Europe
    increased

    -- All Group brands record higher year-on-year sales figures;
    Audi, Bentley, Skoda, Lamborghini and Volkswagen Commercial
    Vehicles aiming for full-year delivery records

    -- New models drive significant growth in deliveries to customers
    in the USA (+10.2%) and China (+28.7%)

    -- Volkswagen Eos records strong sales figures in cabriolet segment

    -- Audi S3, S6 and S8 models and the TT Coupe successfully launched
    in the market

    -- SEAT presents the Leon Cupra at the London Motor Show

    -- 12 world premieres of Group models at the Paris Motor Show and
    the IAA Commercial Vehicles

    -- Volkswagen acquires 15.06% stake in MAN Aktiengesellschaft as of
    October 3
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    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    January-September 2006 2005 *) +/- (%)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Volkswagen Group:

    Deliveries to
    customers '000 units 4,264 3,866 + 10.3
    Vehicle sales '000 units 4,220 3,841 + 9.9
    Production '000 units 4,233 3,897 + 8.6
    Employees Sept. 30/Dec. 31 329,075 344,902 - 4.6

    Continuing
    operations:
    Sales revenue EUR million 77,030 68,912 + 11.8

    Operating profit
    before special
    items EUR million 3,020 1,864 + 62.0
    Special items EUR million -1,663 - x
    Operating profit
    after special
    items EUR million 1,357 1,864 - 27.2

    Profit before
    tax from
    continuing
    operations EUR million 937 1,009 - 7.1
    Profit from
    continuing
    operations EUR million 413 617 - 32.9

    Profit from
    discontinued
    operations **) EUR million 796 68 x
    Profit after tax EUR million 1,209 685 + 76.6

    Automotive Division (including allocation of consolidation adjustments
    between the Automotive and Financial Services divisions):

    Cash flows from
    operating
    activities EUR million 8,995 5,640 + 59.5
    Cash flows from
    investing
    activities ***) EUR million 1,749 3,945 - 55.7

    Net liquidity on
    September 30 EUR million 8,194 - 30 x
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    *) Financial data restated.
    **) Net gain on disposal of the Europcar group and the Europcar's
    current profit after tax for January to May 2006/January to
    September 2005.
    ***) Excluding acquisition and disposal of equity investments:
    EUR 3,287 million (EUR 3,8 69 million).
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    Despite the difficult economic environment, the most important
    automotive markets proved to be robust in the first nine months of
    2006 and recorded slight year-on-year growth. Although oil prices have
    recently fallen, we are not expecting any sustained easing of the
    situation in the energy and commodity markets. In combination with the
    troubled situation in the Middle East, this will continue to dampen
    growth. We therefore believe that growth in demand for passenger cars
    in the USA, Western Europe and Germany will only be moderate in 2006.

    We will continue our product rollout in the fourth quarter, thus
    stabilizing this year's improved market position in Western Europe and
    Germany. The success of the new models in the US market will be
    maintained and will bolster our market position there. We continue to
    expect growth in deliveries to customers in China and South
    America/South Africa. Consequently we expect overall year-on-year
    growth in worldwide delivery figures for 2006.

    We will achieve our goal of cutting material costs by at least EUR
    1.0 billion in 2006. Driven by the higher unit sales and the success
    of ForMotionplus, full-year operating profit before special items will
    be higher than in 2005. We expect the Automotive Division to record a
    positive net cash flow for the full year and an improvement in net
    liquidity compared with December 31, 2005.

    Wolfsburg, October 27, 2006

    Volkswagen AG - The Board of Management

    (The full interim report is available at "www.volkswagen-ir.de")

    This report contains forward-looking statements on the business
    development of the Volkswagen Group. These statements are based on
    assumptions relating to the development of the economies of individual
    countries, and in particular of the automotive industry, which we have
    made on the basis of the information available to us and which we
    consider to be realistic at the time of going to press. The estimates
    given entail a degree of risk, and the actual developments may differ
    from those forecast.

    Consequently, any unexpected fall in demand or economic stagnation
    in our key sales markets, such as Western Europe (and especially
    Germany) or in the USA, Brazil or China, will have a corresponding
    impact on the development of our business. The same applies in the
    event of a significant shift in current exchange rates relative to the
    US dollar, sterling, yen, Brazilian real, Chinese renminbi and Czech
    koruna.

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    Language: English
    Issuer: VOLKSWAGEN AG
    Brieffach 1970
    38436 Wolfsburg Deutschland
    Phone: +49 (0)5361 9 - 49840
    Fax: +49 (0)5361 9 - 30411
    E-mail: gillian.karran@volkswagen.de
    WWW: gillian.karran@volkswagen.de
    ISIN: DE0007664005
    WKN: 766400
    Indices: DAX, Euro Stoxx 50
    Listed: Amtlicher Markt in Berlin-Bremen, Frankfurt (Prime
    Standard), Hannover, Munchen, Hamburg, Dusseldorf,
    Luxembourg, SWX, Stuttgart; Terminborse EUREX; Foreign
    Exchange(s) London, Tokyo End of News DGAP News-Service
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