More than 35,000 jobs are to be cut at Volkswagen’s core brand, 7,500 at Audi and around 4,000 at Porsche. Other brands and subsidiaries also face cuts.
Germany’s car industry is grappling with weak sales, growing competition from China and difficulties in the shift to electric mobility, as well as EU climate targets aimed at lowering emissions and US tariffs.
VW management needs to get back to basics. Where’s the two door golf in the US? Where’s the ID.3? Why isn’t the smaller variant of the bus sold in North America? Where’s the EV Beetle? Bring back the Ghia. Bring back the small pickup. Reuse the same parts across your product line like you used to. There’s no reason every model needs a different shifter, or bespoke window buttons.
Stop treating VW as an expensive luxury brand you dolts. It’s supposed to be well designed reasonably priced basics, like the car equivalent of The Gap.