The company could sell the bespoke brands.
Later this year, VW Group will take a long, hard look at its portfolio, and, according to a new Reuters report, it could decide to put Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Ducati up for sale. The automaker is reviewing its brands and products as the company shifts toward producing electric vehicles while also looking at doubling its value. While a sale of any three would be drastic, executives, who declined to be named, told the publication the automaker is considering several options.
Those other options include VW inking “technology partnerships” or some form of “restructuring.” VW Group could also list or sell the three brands. The reexamination is happening as the conglomerate allocates its resources to not only mass-producing electric vehicles, but also to develop and produce semi-self-driving and autonomous-vehicle technologies, connected cars, and more. It’s a costly endeavor with some inside VW wondering if it’s worth developing EVs for brands that have built loud reputations with combustion engines.
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“Brands must be measured against new requirements,” VW Group Chief Executive Herbert Diess told Reuters, which includes electrification, connectivity, and digitalization. Speculation about VW Group’s plans for its premium brands isn’t new. Last year, rumors that swirled that VW would sell Lamborghini and Bentley by 2030. Bugatti’s future is much more interesting. This month, reports surfaced that VW had agreed to sell the bespoke French automaker to Rimac, the Croatian electric car maker. However, it wouldn’t see Bugatti entirely leave the Group’s influence – Porsche has a 15.5 percent share in Rimac.
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Seeing Bugatti and Lamborghini sold would be surprising, but both have had several different owners since their founding. According to Germany’s largest union IG Metall, what’s not on the table to be listed are Porsche or Audi. However, the union’s leader, Joerg Hofmann, told the news outlet that he’s not opposed to the idea of listing the other two.
Source:
Reuters.com
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