Jetta And Taycan Among 10 Cars Facing The Axe At VW Group: Report

When the Volkswagen Group outlined its massive cost-cutting agenda last week, there was no mention of plant closures or layoffs. However, the German automotive giant did speak openly about its plan to cut as much as 50 percent of its current model portfolio by 2030. As if that wasn’t bad enough, between now and the end of the decade, the number of available options will be slashed by 75 percent. At the same time, annual production capacity will fall from the current 10 million to just 9 million vehicles.

Although the company won’t phase out models overnight, we did notice a sense of urgency in the press release. The first steps toward reducing model and variant complexity across the product portfolio have already been taken with “immediate effect,” which can only mean some nameplates are already living on borrowed time. Not only that, but German newspaper Bild claims to have a preliminary list of models potentially facing the axe.

At the Volkswagen core brand, the Jetta and Taos are apparently not going to live to see a next generation. Hardly anyone will miss the crossover, but the sedan has been a staple of the company’s portfolio for nearly 40 years. While demand for sedans clearly isn’t what it was a couple of decades ago, they’re still reasonably popular. Other mainstream brands, such as Honda and Toyota, have made the math work in their favor, but the Jetta appears to be another victim of VW’s cost-cutting. While the ID.5 isn’t mentioned, previous reports have pointed to its possible demise.

Porsche Could Axe Four Models

The “concrete list of discontinued models” mentioned by Bild also includes multiple vehicles carrying the Porsche crest. The slow-selling Taycan electric sedan will allegedly die after the current generation runs its course, without receiving a direct successor. Similarly, the combustion-powered Cayenne Coupe is said to be on its last legs.

But the one that really stings is the purported cancellation of the gas-powered 718’s return. Even though Porsche’s “strategic realignment,” announced last September, called for an ICE comeback for the range-topping Boxster and Cayman models, it may not happen after all. Curiously, Bild does not mention the fully electric 718s, so we can deduce that the two-door EV sports cars are still happening.

Porsche will provide clarity on its product portfolio this fall by outlining its Strategy 2035 at a Capital Markets Day on October 7. We should learn more about the new compact crossover with a gasoline engine that’s set to replace the original Macan, which goes out of production this month. There might also be news about the long-announced three-row flagship SUV that will slot above the Cayenne.

The VW Group’s death list supposedly includes two crossover coupes you’re unlikely to cry over: the Audi Q5 Sportback and the electric Q6 E-Tron Sportback. Both are still relatively fresh products, so they’re not going to disappear from the lineup in the next couple of years, but Audi is unlikely to replace them.

Their possible retirement would follow the recent end of production for the A1 Sportback and Q2. It’s not all about shrinking the lineup, though, as the Q9 flagship SUV and A2 electric supermini are launching this year, with a two-door targa sports car due in 2027 as the production version of the Concept C.

Bild reports the long-running Skoda Fabia is facing retirement as well. Strangely enough, the report doesn’t mention its VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza sister models. We do know it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make money on small combustion-engine cars in Europe as emissions regulations drive up production costs, inevitably eating into profit margins. Whether all three will bow out is unclear, but time is running out for non-electrified subcompact hatchbacks.

Photo by: Cupra

Elsewhere in the VW Group’s enormous portfolio, the Cupra Raval will allegedly meet its end after a single generation. It seems strange to cancel a second generation when the original car has barely gone on sale. Usually, carmakers wait to see how a model performs in the market before deciding its future. If the rumor is true, it would speak volumes about the scale of the VW Group’s shake-up if it isn’t even willing to give a new model a chance before axing it.

No Changes At Lamborghini And Bentley?

Lamborghini and Bentley aren’t mentioned in the report, which is hardly surprising. Both brands have much smaller lineups and some of the industry’s healthiest profit margins, so there’s little reason to tamper with a formula that works. That said, both have already made important strategic decisions: Lamborghini has postponed the launch of its first EV, and Bentley has abandoned its plan to go purely electric by 2035.

Bugatti isn’t mentioned either, but that’s to be expected. The Molsheim-based marque recently cut all ties with the VW Group after Porsche sold its stake in Bugatti Rimac.

All told, Bild alleges the VW Group will save as much as €6.5 billion (about $7.4 billion) by 2031 by not developing successors for these 10 cars. This might be just the tip of the iceberg, considering it represents far less than the up to 50-percent model cut the company is considering.

Motor1 has reached out to the VW Group for a comment and will update the story if we hear back.

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Motor1’s Take: This preliminary list isn’t official, but it includes some surprising names, such as the Jetta and Fabia. These were once regarded as high-volume products, yet they now face extinction because it’s no longer just about how well a car sells. Being popular isn’t enough anymore, according to VW Group CEO Oliver Blume. It’s all about profit margins.

Enthusiasts will be bitterly disappointed if Porsche changes its mind and doesn’t bring back the Boxster and Cayman with gasoline engines as it promised less than a year ago. However, nothing is official until the company says so, so we’re still hopeful the 718’s engines will roar again.