Volkswagen cutting half its models

[dxg]

The news is everywhere this morning.

Which do we think will go?

I'm betting all the ID. models except ID.3 Neo, and the ID.Polo. ID.TRoc debatable.

Polo should go. It's dire.

Golf even - when was the last time you saw a new, run of the mill Golf?

And they effectively gave their commercial arm away to Ford, so they can't even run and hide there like Ford did in Europe. Speaking of which, hopefully this also means the Ford Explorer and Capri die.

[Skodillac]

This article says the cut is across all VAG brands.

https://www.motor1.com/news/801179/vw-group-reduce...

I hope the Superb survives.

[MC Bodge]

Car companies will need to rationalise their product ranges.

Some groups have a huge number of models and variations. Production volumes cannot be large.

Tesla showed them the way in using platforms with many shared parts, few baubles and only a few variations.

[NDA]

In other news, I read that Polstar are being effectively banned in America and are pulling out.

[Ed Boon II]

I don't understand why there are so many variations of essentially the same model, eg Taigo, T-Cross, T-Roc and Tiguan madness to keep spares for all these slightly different variants.

Fiesta, Escort, Cortina and Granada when I was a lad.

[MC Bodge]

Ed Boon II said:

I don't understand why there are so many variations of essentially the same model, eg Taigo, T-Cross, T-Roc and Tiguan madness to keep spares for all these slightly different variants.

I suspect that somebody in VAG may have realised this

[Wills2]

Ed Boon II said:

I don't understand why there are so many variations of essentially the same model, eg Taigo, T-Cross, T-Roc and Tiguan madness to keep spares for all these slightly different variants.

Because when the going was good it made them lots of profit....

[Soloman Dodd]

My main concern is VAG owns Ducati, and the thought of that company being sold to the Chinese makes me shudder.

[Ed Boon II]

Wills2 said:

Because when the going was good it made them lots of profit....

Seems more like they were so desperate for market share that they tried to cover all bases?

Can it really make them more profit by having such a diverse range of basically the same vehicle?

[Wills2]

Ed Boon II said:

Wills2 said:

Because when the going was good it made them lots of profit....

Seems more like they were so desperate for market share that they tried to cover all bases?

Can it really make them more profit by having such a diverse range of basically the same vehicle?

Yes it can and it did when you have the volumes to support it, multiple variants based upon the same group of platforms and power trains, but you need the volume.

It's not a hard concept to grasp.