It's important to see things in perspective. Automobile traffic is responsible for only 12 percent of total CO2 emissions. One should be able to point this out without being accused of changing the subject.

People act as though the hybrid could solve all of our problems - which is certainly not the case.

The US will always be an enormous automobile market. You're lost without a car there.

Politicians are fond of criticizing others.

Bentley and Lamborghini have been achieving record sales for years. This doesn't support the notion that these models are suddenly social pariahs. There will always be a place for these kinds of cars.

The tough competition among German manufacturers makes us fundamentally strong.

Russia has the largest reserves of natural resources, including iron and natural gas. The market will develop in the long term, and the VW Group will benefit from it.