What's Up With Volkswagen?

Europe's largest automaker and producer ofmodel for the Passat brand.
top-of-the-line VW Golf parts, , Volkswagen hasIn a statement released by Volkswagen, the
recently reported that they have obtained anautomaker said, "It's the first time for the
increase in the second-quarter profit by 16venture to take a role in the development work
percent attributed to new models from brandsof a car sold to the international markets."
Skoda and Audi.It also added that the new car which is scheduled
Bloomberg News has conducted a survey that isto be launched as early as 2009 will be produced
participated by 11 analysts who has given theirprimarily for both North America and China
media estimate resulting to Volkswagen's netmarkets. Shanghai Volkswagen is a 50/50 joint
income increased that reached 1 billion euros orventure between Europe's largest automaker,
$1.38 billion from the previously obtained 859Volkswagen and China's largest automaker, the
million euros net income last year.Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.
Banks were also made to participate in theAnd earlier this week, the Japanese automaker
survey namely Bankhauz Metzler, M.M. Warburg,Honda Motor Co. has also boosted its China
JPMorgan, Societe Generale, Morgan Stanley, UBS,presence. The Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co.
UNicredit, Bankhaus Lampe, DZ Bank, ABN AmroLtd, in which Honda has a 50/50 joint venture
and EXane BNP Paribas.with Guangzhou Automobile Group has developed
Volkswagen to Develop a New Car in China in aa wholly-owned research and development unit in
Joint Venture with Shanghai VolkswagenChina as preparation for the development of the
In other news, Volkswagen has recently signed aChina-specific Guangzhou Honda brand.
contract with one of its China joint ventures, theThe total investment in Guangzhou Honda's
Shanghai Volkswagen. The agreement is willresearch and development unit is around 2 bln
create a joint venture aimed for the productionyuan that is according to Honda.
of a new car that would become the replacement