Be the Change
This is the new dawn
This is the New Volkswagen
We’re doing good for the greater. Pushing ourselves to do our part – on our streets, in our communities, and for the world. We’re creating the world we want to live in. Knowing full well that if we want to usher in a new era of sustainability, we can’t wait for someone else to build it. We’re driving the change we want to see in our culture. Because we can’t be bystanders. We need to Be the Change.
It’s time to change perspectives, directions, and opinions. To change our actions, goals, and expectations. To change the world for the better.
And it all starts now. Come along for the ride.
All of us can #BeTheChange
There’s no action too big or too small – from working with a charity, to supporting local businesses, to helping your neighbour with their groceries, and more.
Share what you’re doing to Be the Change in your own community or beyond, and you could win a Volkswagen prize pack from our new sustainable ‘Be the Change’ Collection. Including a VW backpack, umbrella, and water bottle.
Share what you’re doing here on Instagram
Share what you’re doing here on Facebook
Contest ends on March 5th at 11 am. 50 prizes available (ARV $95). Skill-testing question required. One entry per person. Winners to be drawn on March 5, 2021.
Doing good for the greater
Being the people’s car means giving back to the people. Here’s how we’re driving good.
Our partnership with Camp Ooch & Camp Trillium
Camp Ooch & Camp Trillium is a Canadian charity that brings laughter and joy to kids and families affected by childhood cancer – by creating in-hospital and overnight camp programs, as well as virtual camp-inspired programs during the pandemic. Since our partnership began in 2015, we’ve provided the camps with fleets of vehicles, a campground housing unit for their doctors and staff, and over $1 million in donations. Our staff also regularly clean and repair the camps, and run in the annual Sporting Life 10K to raise even more funds and awareness of all the good Camp Ooch & Camp Trillium do for families across Ontario.
Celebrating unsung heroes with Volksgiving
There are so many incredible Canadians out there who do good for their communities. And we’re proud to say that many of those heroes are VW Owners. That’s why we give back to owners annually through our Volksgiving initiative. It’s our way of saying thank to those who dare to be the change.
Investing in students
We are supporting the brilliant minds who will be the future of tech. So we’re investing over $5 million in 42 Wolfsburg, a groundbreaking not-for-profit school in Germany that’s teaching students to code. We plan to continue supporting them with an annual investment of $3 million.
Building a new era of sustainability
If we want a more sustainable world, we all need to build it. Here’s how we’re ushering in e-mobility and more.
Investing in Electrify Canada
Asking Canadians to make the change to electric takes more than just building EVs. It requires a widespread infrastructure of charging stations. That’s why we’re investing in Electrify Canada, which is working to build Canada’s fastest public charging network - to make driving an EV convenient for an all-electric future.
Driving change on the road… and online
Our commitment to building a more sustainable world goes far beyond our vehicles. That’s why we’re doing our part online as well. The internet has a digital carbon footprint, determined by the amount of data embedded in the digital media we interact with. So we’ve created a new, more carbon-efficient browsing experience to help our website visitors surf more sustainably.
First automaker to commit to the Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). We signed the treaty, vowing to work towards economic and social transformation in order to reduce climate change for the sake of our planet.
Making our MEB platform available for all
We see a future where every Canadian is driving electric. But we can’t do it alone. So we made the plans for our MEB Platform—also known as the Modular Electric Drive matrix—available to automakers worldwide. This revolutionary electric vehicle platform (essentially the vehicle’s underpinnings) can be used to design any number of EVs.
The world’s largest electric offensive
We envision a world where driving electric is the status quo. That’s why we’re leading the charge with our e-offensive, starting with investing more than $50 billion into e-mobility efforts.
The plant of the future
We’re investing over $800 million into our North American plant to build electric vehicles. It’s the world’s first LEED Platinum auto manufacturing plant and the symbol of our commitment to a sustainable future.
Investing in the factory floor
Building an all-electric world requires the proper production infrastructure to make that happen. That’s why we’re investing in automation in our plants in Germany (Emden and Hanover) and North America (Chattanooga) – with 2,200 new robots to help build the electric cars of the future.
Building a climate-neutral island
We’re working with Greece to make the Mediterranean island of Astypalea completely climate-neutral, in order to model what an all-electric future could look like. The entire island will transition to electric vehicles and renewable power generation using green power sources such as solar and wind. This endeavor will help us learn more about going all-electric on a larger scale.
Investing in future technologies
Working towards an all-electric future means investing in the technology that will get us there. That’s why we’ve put over $100 billion towards future technologies; investing in electromobility, hybridization, digitization, hybrid powertrains, and more. Our investment in digitization will double by mid-decade, as we continue to work towards a more sustainable world.
Driving change in our communities
Being the change isn’t just our mission for the world, it’s what we do in our communities as well.
Founding Partner of the Canadian Premier League
The Canadian Premier League is a new soccer league; a place where local players and supporters can unite under their love for soccer. As a founding partner, we’re proud to do our part in building a league from the ground up for all Canadians to call their own.
The future we’re building towards
Building a better future means planning ahead. Here are some of our many goals and when we aim to complete them by.
2025
By 2025, we will have increased our production of electric vehicles – with more than 1 million EVs available per year worldwide. We’ll have more than 20 different EV models, making it easy for Canadians to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.
2030
By 2030, we’ll have over 70 EV models, and intend to produce 26 million fully electric vehicles. Making EVs commonplace worldwide.
2040
By 2040, we plan to have every VW we produce be electric. Meaning we’ll have a full, all-electric fleet of vehicles. This is the electric future we want to create by being the change.
2050
By 2050, we plan to be completely carbon-neutral in every single one of our operations. From our vehicles, to our factories, to our shipping infrastructure… everything.