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  • Volkswagen to form luxury brand group

    By admin

    Following the surprise resignation of Volkswagen chief executive Bernd Pischetsrieder, CEO-designate Martin Winterkorn has already announced plans for restructuring at the automaker. Winterkorn wants to see more development synergy between the company’s brands, in order to reduce costs, according to Germany’s Spiegel weekly magazine.

    One major change will include the formation of brand groupings. Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti will form a luxury/performance division, which only existed in hypothetically before. The arrangement is expected to be similar to Ford’s Premier Automotive Group.

    Meanwhile, the Volkswagen brand, Skoda, and SEAT will form the volume division. It’s unclear how the changes will affect sharing between the VW and Audi brands, or how the four luxury brands might collaborate in the future. It’s also not clear how future involvement by Porsche might affect the arrangements.

    11 COMMENTS

    1. photo
      Brendino1354 days ago

      Cool.

    2. photo
      angelo1354 days ago

      PAG has been a “great” idea…. let’s copy it!

    3. photo
      angelo1354 days ago

      (sarcasm)

    4. photo
      12341354 days ago

      When will VW give us a new microbus? Do they realize how strong the market still is for all those old VW vans in this country? It’s insane that we do not have all those great small vans that are all over the world here in the US.

    5. photo
      A41354 days ago

      hahaha yeah Ford isnt exactly someone i would want to mimic right now. I think its best off as it is right now… they ought to move Audi into the volume group. Yes they would prefer it to have an upscale image, but when next to bentley, lamborghini, and bugatti, it looks pathetic. Make bentley, lambo, and bugatti an “exotic” grouping, volkswagen and audi another group, and skoda/seat another group, with overlapping between each. oh wait, that would basically just make it what it is now… why bother changing it

    6. photo
      eam31354 days ago

      It certainly beats this clunker of an idea:

      “Hey, I know, let’s release a $70K uber-sedan that is heavier than our own Audi A8 and we’ll slap a huge VW emblem on it because we know how prestigious the VW name is – especially in America where the VW name is equal to top notch quality and reliability.”

    7. photo
      audiot1354 days ago

      Where is the Jetta wagon? It would instantly be one of the biggest sellers.

    8. photo
      A41354 days ago

      its coming… dont worry… spring 2007 or earlier is its estimated US launch. there is a GLI version confirmed as well :)

    9. photo
      kurtamaxxguy1354 days ago

      About time. Now Audi can drop its entry level models (which are really Volkswagens) and focus on what it really wants to make/import – mid to high end street legal race cars with luxury interiors.

      Hopefully VW will get a little more american mojo; all black GTI interior choice options are fine, but at least Audi understood not every sports car driver wishes to drive from inside a coal bin.

    10. photo
      A41354 days ago

      you can get tan interior on the GLI, better than nothing i guess, id still rather have black

    11. photo
      Aussie#11353 days ago

      wont make much difference really

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