When everything seems to be going wrong in her love life, Denyque contemplates getting rid of it all – exes, photos, mementos and briefly her Volkswagen keys. Set to throw the keys in the dump, she pauses and reconsiders because she really does love her VW. Still angry after being dumped by her ex, she hastily drives out only to make eye contact with a male VW driver who is cute ‘to boot’. He winks at her and she smiles flirtatiously at him – a new love connection through Volkswagen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMgFPhmUIyM
If only everything in life were was reliable as a Volkswagen..
• Sharp year-on-year rise in sales revenue to EUR 108.8 billion (EUR 98.8 billion);
positive impact from exchange rates and mix effects
• Operating profit before special items rises to EUR 7.0 billion (EUR 6.2 billion)
• Equity-accounted profit of the Chinese joint ventures level year-on-year
• Net liquidity in Automotive Division increases to EUR 21.5 billion
• CEO Dr. Winterkorn: “Volkswagen very well positioned in an increasingly
difficult market environment”
The Volkswagen Group reported considerable growth in sales revenue and earnings in the first six months of the year in a very challenging environment. Sales revenue rose by 10.1 percent to EUR 108.8 billion (EUR 98.8 billion) in the first half of the year, primarily due to exchange rate effects and an improved product mix. Operating profit before special items grew by 13.0 percent to EUR 7.0 billion (EUR 6.2 billion). Restructuring measures in the trucks business led to an operating profit after special items of EUR 6.8 billion (EUR 6.2 billion). The operating return on sales remained stable at 6.3 percent (6.3 percent). The Group’s operating profit and sales revenue exclude the activities of the Chinese joint ventures, which are accounted for in the financial result using the equity method. At EUR 2.7 billion (EUR 2.6 billion), the share of operating profit attributable to the Chinese joint ventures was level year-on-year in the first half of 2015.
“Our results for the first half of the year show that Volkswagen remains very well positioned in an increasingly difficult market environment and has a compelling product range”, said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, in Wolfsburg on Wednesday. “We are keeping a very close watch on global macroeconomic trends, especially where there are uncertainties such as in the Chinese, Brazilian and Russian markets.”
The Volkswagen Group’s profit before tax remained almost level at EUR 7.7 billion (EUR 7.8 billion) despite the negative effects from fair value measurement in the financial result. Profit after tax remained unchanged as against the prior-year period, at EUR 5.7 billion (EUR 5.7 billion).
“The difficult market environment and fierce competition, as well as interest rate and exchange rate volatility and fluctuations in raw materials prices all pose challenges. We are systematically implementing our efficiency program and are continuing to roll out the modular toolkits. We expect considerable positive effects in both instances”, said CFO Hans Dieter Pötsch.
Samuel McKenzie (left), ATL Automotive’s head of business at Honda, welcomes new senior sales consultant to the Honda team, Kevin Jackson. Jackson, a former consultant at Toyota, has years of experience in the automotive industry and is Jamaica’s top SUV salesman.
ATL Automotive has announced that it is set to end its four-year relationship with British car brand Jaguar Land Rover and will no longer stock their brand from 1st September 2015.
ATL Automotive created a huge splash in the Jamaican motoring industry after it acquired the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in 2011, registering a dramatic increase in sales, expanding its nationwide presence with the launch of a state-of-the-art showroom in Montego Bay and offering peerless after-sales and technical service to its customers.
Adam Stewart, Chief Executive Officer at ATL Automotive commented, “Working with Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) has been an enjoyable and exciting journey but ultimately this is a strategic decision to enable us to focus on our future, and where we believe the future of the automotive industry in Jamaica is going. We are excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead.”
“Over the past four years, ATL Automotive has been dedicated to successfully growing Jaguar and Land Rover’s market share, increasing sales year on year and providing ‘Unbeatable’ customer service before, during and after sales. We have watched as JLR has rapidly evolved under our stewardship and we are proud to say we have been a hugely successful Jamaican ambassador.”
In addition to the company’s sterling sales efforts, ATL Automotive’s JLR tenure was packed with groundbreaking marketing initiatives including the renovation of Bob Marley’s iconic Land Rover, the conversion of Barbican Roundabout in Kingston into an awe-inspiring off-road driving adventure and most recently the extravagant launch of the Jaguar XF at Palisadoes Raceway to name but a few.
Brent Murphy, Chief Operating Officer at Interamericana Trading Corporation added the following, “We wish to take this opportunity to thank ATL for their dedication and support in building the Jaguar Land Rover Brand in Jamaica.”
From 1st September all customer sale and service inquiries should be addresses to the following contacts:
Telephone: 1 876 968-0930
Sales: sales@jlrjamaica.com
Parts, Service and General: customercare@jlrjamaica.com
One tree planted for every car sold. This is the promise of the Drive Green campaign, a partnership between ATL Automotive Limited and the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT).
ATL Automotive and the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) has committed to planting a tree for each car it sells and help to reduce the effects of Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gasses emitted by motor vehicles.
While ATL Automotive has offered low-emission vehicles, continuously educating consumers on fuel efficiency and providing excellent motor vehicle care and servicing increasing performance and in turn lowering emissions for some time, the ‘Drive Green’ campaign takes the company’s commitment one step further.
The JCDT, a non-government organisation established to promote environmental conservation and sustainable development, has identified a 1.2 acre plot of land in the Holywell Forest located over 900 metres (3,000 feet) above sea-level in the cool Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park where the trees will be planted.
ATL Automotive customers have the option to visit the site and plant the tree themselves or the JCDT will facilitate planting. Interested consumers will also have the option of purchasing additional trees at a cost of just JMD$133 each.
Motor vehicles typically emit varying amounts of greenhouse gages including nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and most commonly, carbon dioxide (CO2) which is believed to contribute to global warming. Planting trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and through this partnership, ATL Automotive and the JCDT are offering individuals the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by offsetting carbon dioxide produced from their day to day activities.
Bruce Duquesnay, Operations Manager from ATL Automotive said the company was excited about the initiative and its potential benefit to the environment. “At ATL Automotive, we have always encouraged responsible motor vehicle use and maintenance as well as fuel saving tips. This initiative gives the company, as well as our customers, the opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and actively contribute to the protection and preservation of our beautiful country. We’re happy to partner with the JCDT and we look forward to making a difference.”
Trees have played a critical role in maintaining safe levels of oxygen and CO2 in the atmosphere for millions of years as they remove and store CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow and through the process of photosynthesis.
At present, 4-5 million hectares of forest are cleared every year in Latin America and the Caribbean, resulting in as much as 47% of global carbon emissions from deforestation. Significant reduction in forest cover results in reduced humidity and a generally hotter climate, lower rainfall, less productive or dry wells, reduced flow and the drying up of rivers, as well as the erosion of top soil.