A new chapter: VW exec to keynote CES 2016, will debut new electric concept car

The brand’s head of passenger cars, Dr. Herbert Diess, will give a keynote address at CES 2016 on January 5, with the majority of his comments focusing on electric mobility as the new driving force in the automotive market. Diess will also launch a new all-electric concept at the event, previewing the automaker’s post-Dieselgate production strategy.

“We welcome Herbert Diess to CES to share Volkswagen’s vision for the future, including the company’s commitment to sustainability,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association that produces CES. “We are pleased Volkswagen will use the CES stage to unveil a concept car displaying its latest developments in safe and energy-efficient electric vehicles consistent with VW’s long history of innovation in the driving experience.”

Details of the concept are slim at this time, but the vehicle could very well preview the next-generation Golf or possibly a new electric Phaeton.

As the company has done at every major event following Dieselgate’s ugly introduction in September, Diess is expected to touch on the continuing controversy surrounding VW Group’s diesel products. Thus far, emissions-fooling “defeat devices” have been found in nearly 500,000 2.0-liter TDIs in the United States, with a total of 11 million affected cars worldwide. The device has also been found on the group’s 3.0-liter TDI V6, which powers multiple vehicles from VW, Audi, and Porsche. Most recently, the automaker has come under investigation by German authorities for tax evasion related to inaccurate emissions claims, which could have led to the company paying less than it should have.

Ahead of CES, VW has scheduled a press conference to bring the automotive world “up-to-date on the current status of the clarification process concerning the diesel issue and on the realignment of the Group.” The briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. UTC (2 a.m. PST) on December 10, and you can watch it live right here.