Volkswagen Group has announced at the Geneva International Motor Show that it will create three ‘Future Centres’, where designers and digitalization experts will work together on the "car of the future."

The future centres will be located in Germany, the US and China. The studio in Potsdam – Germany- has already begun working under the new concept. Volkswagen said the decisions regarding the locations for the new centres in California and China will be taken soon.

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"We are realigning our Group Design for the digital era," chief executive officer at Volkwagen Group Matthias Müller said. In addition, the group has been focusing on "autonomous driving," and says that its aim is to bring this core technology to market maturity faster than its competition.

Müller said that digital transformation is very high on the group’s agenda, as there is a conviction that digitalization will open up new fields of business and sales potential.

Johann Jungwirth, who became chief digital officer at the Volkswagen Group in November 2015, made clear where the realigned Group was headed: "I am firmly convinced we will become a leading mobility provider by 2025." He described how the Volkswagen Group would "in part become a software and services company" in the process.

The Group is also forging ahead with electromobility. The Volkswagen Group currently has nine electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in its product range. It will be adding a further 20 models by 2020. "All-electric ranges of over 500 km are feasible by the end of the decade. Charging will only take as long as a coffee break. And in the long term an electric car will cost less than a car with an internal combustion engine," Müller said.

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However, the group highlighted that a concerted effort was needed on the part of industry and politics, above all with regard to setting up a comprehensive charging infrastructure so that electric mobility could penetrate the market faster.