WOLFSBURG/MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - Volkswagen's multi-billion research and development spending will soon pay off, according to finance chief Arno Antlitz. "We expect the peak of investments in two or three years," the manager told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Monday), referring to new software, battery factories and e-car models. "We will be able to harvest from 2026 at the latest." VW would then have to invest "almost nothing" in combustion technology, which is being phased out. "The double burden will fall away, and then we also want to earn significantly with electromobility," Antlitz said.

Also in this period, the manager would like to have corrected the "imbalance" on the stock market: Currently, the valuations of Volkswagen as well as the group subsidiary Porsche are almost on par - even though the revenue and sales of the group parent VW are several times greater. "We do have to ask ourselves: how well do we explain our qualities to the capital market, even at the group level?" said Antlitz to the newspaper. "I am convinced we will deliver within the next two to three years."

To become more profitable and attractive to investors, Volkswagen is abandoning the goal of global market leadership still issued by former VW patriarchs Ferdinand Piëch and Martin Winterkorn. Sales and revenue are "of course important," Antlitz said, also referring to financial benefits from large production numbers. "But we have agreed on a different weighting in the board: We're focusing on cash flow, that is, the money that ultimately stays in the coffers." VW, he said, wants to focus on the "most attractive profit pools," i.e., the vehicle segments that are particularly profitable and at the same time in demand, as well as the regions with the strongest growth. In addition to Europe and China, these also include the USA./stw