Volkswagen AG CEO Dr. Herbert Diess is in Israel in one of his first trips abroad since becoming head of the German carmaker, the company has announced. Diess met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.
At the business end of the visit he held talks with representatives from Israel’s startup scene and discussions with the CEOs of Gett and Mobileye on innovative mobility services and autonomous driving.
In Jerusalem, he told Netanyahu, "I particularly wanted to come to Israel at the beginning of my tenure, not least because of our company’s own past."
At Yad Vashem Diess wrote in the guest book, "We have a responsibility to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, to remember the victims and to make sure this kind of catastrophe never happens again."
The German carmaker recently opened the Volkswagen Group "Konnect" Campus in Tel Aviv in order to make better use of Israel's startup potential. "Konnect" enables startups and local partners to engage in a direct exchange with the Volkswagen Group and its brands. Furthermore, "Konnect" allows Volkswagen to observe developments in connectivity, autonomous driving, smart navigation, cyber security, e-mobility and even big data at close quarters.
Volkswagen already holds a 20% stake in Israeli ride hailing company Gett and Diess discussed the development of future robotaxis with Gett CEO Dave Waiser during his visit. He also met with Mobileye CEO Prof. Amnon Shashua in Tel Aviv to discuss and test drive self-driving cars.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 21, 2018
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