Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Business economics - Market research, grade: 1,3, Buckinghamshire New University, language: English, abstract: In this assignment, the author finds herself in the role of a consultant, whose client intends to acquire VW. The objective of this paper is to provide an assessment of VW's financial performance and financial position to prepare a proposal to the client, that assists in deciding whether acquiring VW is financially beneficial. For a comprehensive insight into VW's financial performance and position, the approach was as follows. Hereafter, in chapter two, the theoretical background provides the reader with knowledge about VW and describes the meaning of DD in M&A processes. Chapter three, the financial statement analysis, is subdivided into FDD and CDD. In the FDD profitability ratios, asset and capital structure KPIs, and liquidity ratios are described and reviewed. The ratios are based in each case on the corresponding statement, the income statement, the balance sheet, and the CFS. The annual reports of VW from the years 2017-2019 serve as a reference for the financial KPIs. The CDD is based on Porter's Five Forces framework, which considers future trends, and in addition, includes a brief benchmarking to identify competition between global car manufacturers within this framework. To conclude chapter three, the results of FDD and CDD are summed up. In chapter four, a proposal to the client is provided, which speaks for the fact that VW is worth buying in terms of the numbers considered.