► VW Group to cut model ranges
► 40 model ranges to go from 340
► Major realignment after diesel crisis
The Volkswagen Group is planning to trim more than 40 model ranges from the 340 separate lines it sells today across the group, according to media reports in Germany.
The Handelsblatt Sunday newspaper reported that Wolfsburg is seeking to slimline its portfolio in the wake of the ‘Dieselgate’ emissions scandal.
It claimed a new strategy being cooked up by CEO Matthias Mueller (below) seeks to transform VW into the world’s leading green car maker, at the forefront of consumer demand for highly connected, environmentally friendly and predominantly electrified vehicles.
So which Volkswagen Group models will be axed?
No word on which models face the chop. The cuts would come across the group, according to Handelsblatt, including ranges in Seat, Skoda, Porsche, Audi and other group satellite companies. The 340 ranges include some micro-slicing of segments – Audi, for instance, counts the S1 as a distinct range from the A1 family.
There have already been signs the great range proliferation is over; find out why VW is dropping slow-selling products such as the Eos and three-door Polo in our report here.
