VW Reorganizes Research Group

Volkswagen AG is restructuring its research operations to foster innovation, focus on emerging technologies and promote greater collaboration among the carmaker's facilities and brands.

The change includes renaming the 50-year-old research organization Volkswagen Group Innovation. Axel Heinrich (pictured) will continue to lead the group, which includes teams in Asia, Europe and the U.S.

Future research efforts will target artificial intelligence, augmented reality, autonomous driving systems, electrification, fuel cells, lightweight and sustainable materials, solid-state batteries and other disruptive technologies.

VW Innovation also will increasingly work with startups and other partners to speed development and reduce costs, Heinrich says. For example, the carmaker recently increased its stake in Silicon Valley-based QuantumScape with a goal of launching large-scale production of solid-state batteries by 2025.