Having fallen on hard times lately, Volkswagen Group is looking to cut loose no less than 50,000 employees (see video) and trim down its model portfolio accordingly. Motor1 quotes insiders saying that every second car currently on the market will be affected.
In particular, the relatively unpopular Volkswagen Taos SUV is almost guaranteed to leave production soon. Same fate likely awaits the proven classic that’s the Skoda Fabia. The entire Volkswagen Jetta lineup is also on its way out, but keep in mind that the report refers to the Jetta compact car family and not the standalone brand for China. That one seems to be doing fine, more or less, and is planning an expansion.
In turn, Audi will allegedly lose its coupe-like SUVs Q5 Sportback and Q6 e-tron Sportback. Porsche will have to ditch the non-electric Cayenne Coupe, but its entire EV range is just as liable to go under the axe. The issue being, increasing competitor pressure in China is doing the Stuttgart sports car maker no favors.
Earlier rumors claimed that VW Group was in talks to sell off its Lamborghini and Ducati brands. These should all be considered as possibilities, but not as anything remotely guaranteed – the restructuring of Volkswagen has only just begun, and nothing has been decided yet.