VW group forum drive opens
Volkswagen AG will be opening a new communication platform, the Volkswagen Group Forum DRIVE, in Berlin on 1 May 2015.
Following extensive remodelling with a completely new design, the former Automobil Forum on the Unter den Linden street will reopen with all twelve Group brands as well as the Volkswagen Financial Services AG represented under one roof. With changing exhibits and staging, the forum will offer visitors a glimpse into the diverse visions and topics of the Volkswagen Group. DRIVE will also welcome guests with a new culinary programme as well as modern convention facilities.
‘Our Group is the largest company in Europe. As an employer, taxpayer and innovator, it is located right in the middle of the society,’ said Stephan Grühsem, general representative of Volkswagen AG for Group communication, external relations and investor relations. ‘The Volkswagen Group Forum gives us the opportunity to further bring to life our economic and social role. Here in the heart of the capital, we want to establish acontinuing dialogue with people.’
The Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN brands will all be presenting themselves in the future under one roof in DRIVE. The brands will take turns to present three-month exhibits, each exploring a particular issue in mobility. Star products will be permanently displayed in other exhibition areas.
In the first exhibit, all the Group brands will present individual themes under the motto ‘START – The world ofthe Volkswagen Group’. Interacting with digital exhibits, visitors will discover both the past and present of the Volkswagen Group. The Living Book, a multimedia installation, provides information about other sites to visit such as the Transparent Factory in Dresden. In addition, special exhibits and cultural events will be open to the public during the year.
Interactive installations in the permanent Financial DRIVE exhibit guide the visitor into the world of Volkswagen Financial Services AG, providing information about automotive financial services as well as the company’s mobility programme. It is possible to make an appointment with an advisor on the second floor of the building. In addition to Germany’s first shop with model cars from Volkswagen Group brands, the establishment offers a new culinary concept: the urban eatery Brotzeit reinterprets the Berliner open sandwich, while the chef Philipp Liebisch offers diners outstanding dishes in the Zeitgeist restaurant.
Volkswagen Immobilien GmbH is serving as the general contractor of the project, and was responsible for the overall planning, project management and construction work. Professor Christoph Mäckler Architekten is the architecture firm responsible for the renovations.
The Volkswagen Group Forum DRIVE is the Group’s communication platform in Berlin. Since 2015, the Volkswagen Group is presenting its twelve brands and the Financial Services AG together for the first time anywhere in the Lindencorso in the heart of thecapital. With changing exhibits with varying themes by alternating brands, DRIVE is the Group’s platform for issues in mobility, supplementing a multifaceted supporting programme. Various rooms with the latest equipment are available for meetings, conferences and talks. The site of the current Lindencorso was initially home to the legendary Café Bauer, one of the first houses in the Viennese coffee house style in Berlin. After the building was completely destroyed during World War Two, a new structure called the Lindencorso was built in its place, which served as a restaurant and office block. The DDR Academy of Architecture also took up residence on the upper floor of the building. The edifice was demolished again in 1993. Construction on the current Lindencorso was completed after three years.
