Report on Expected Developments
The momentum of the global economy is expected to be somewhat stronger in 2017 than in the previous year. We assume that global demand for vehicles will be mixed and increase at a slightly slower rate than in the reporting period. Thanks to its brand diversity, global presence and pioneering technologies, the Volkswagen Group is well prepared to deal with the diverse conditions in the regional markets.
In the following, we describe the expected development of the Volkswagen Group and the general framework for its business activities. Risks and opportunities that could represent a departure from the forecast trends are presented in the Report on Risks and Opportunities.
Our assumptions are based on current estimates by third-party institutions. These include economic research institutes, banks, multinational organizations and consulting firms.