Basis of presentation

Volkswagen AG is domiciled in Wolfsburg, Germany, and entered in the commercial register at the Braunschweig Local Court under No. HRB 100484. The fiscal year corresponds to the calendar year.

In accordance with Regulation No. 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Volkswagen AG prepared its consolidated financial statements for 2015 in compliance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), as adopted by the European Union. We have complied with all the IFRSs adopted by the EU and required to be applied.

The accounting policies applied in the previous year were retained, with the exception of the changes due to the new or amended standards.

In addition, we have complied with all the provisions of German commercial law that we are also required to apply, as well as with the German Corporate Governance Code. For information on notices and disclosures of changes regarding the ownership of voting rights in Volkswagen AG in accordance with the Wertpapierhandelsgesetz (WpHG – German Securities Trading Act), please refer to the annual financial statements of Volkswagen AG.

The consolidated financial statements were prepared in euros. Unless otherwise stated, all amounts are given in millions of euros (€ million).

All figures shown are rounded, so minor discrepancies may arise from addition of these amounts.

The income statement was prepared using the internationally accepted cost of sales method.

Preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with the above-mentioned standards requires management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of certain items in the consolidated balance sheet and in the consolidated income statement, as well as the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The consolidated financial statements present fairly the net assets, financial position and results of operations as well as the cash flows of the Volkswagen Group.

The Board of Management completed preparation of the consolidated financial statements on April 22, 2016. On that date, the period ended in which adjusting events after the reporting period are recognized.