[dZired]

If media reports are to be believed, the Volkswagen Group is mulling over plans to sell Ducati, Scania, and MAN. This decision to sell the three brands might be taken in the backdrop of the company paying €16.2 billion worth of fines and expenses in lieu of the infamous dieselgate emission scandal.

The Volkswagen Automotive Group (VAG) currently owns 12 brands, including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, MAN, Porsche, Scania, SEAT, Skoda, Volkswagen, and VW commercial vehicles. But with dieselgate defaming the group and plummeting profits, the company now seems to be adopting a defensive outlook.

Though VAG had earlier set aside funds amounting to around $ 18.2 billion in order to cover the losses, fines, and recall costs, selling off brands appears to be the only way forward for the group to refill its fund accounts.

The auto giant is also focusing on the electric vehicle segment in order to cap the market before demand rises. Moreover, in order to minimise manufacturing costs, all component manufacturing tasks would be assigned to a single entity for all companies of the Volkswagen Automotive Group.

Source: Bloomberg



Link to Team-BHP News

[volkman10]

VW eyes possible sale of motorbike brand Ducati !

Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is considering a possible sale of Italian motorcycle maker Ducati as Europe's largest carmaker streamlines operations to help fund a strategic overhaul following its emissions scandal.

Volkswagen is realigning its investment stratergies and also cut shorting spending across all areas of its wide operations including by cutting thousands of jobs at its core passenger-car brand to fund a multi-billion-euro shift to embrace electric cars and new mobility services.

The motorbike group may appeal to peers such as Chinese groups, India's Hero MotoCorp or investors such as the consortium which bought British sports car maker Aston Martin in 2007

It remained unclear whether large competitors such as Harley Davidson, Kawasaki or Honda could be interested

Reuters

[GTO]

Recent rumours were wrong. They're definitely not selling Bentley or Bugatti - link to Reuters article.

Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) has no plans to sell its Bentley or Bugatti brands, the head the carmaker's luxury brands said on Thursday.

"There are no considerations to sell anything," said Oliver Blume, who is also the head of VW's sportscar maker Porsche. He added that cooperation between Porsche and Bentley has reaped more than the originally targeted 100 million euros in annual synergies.

[volkman10]

VW Group will review brand portfolio by year-end.

The automaker is reviewing its portfolio of brands as it seeks to slim down and hike profitability.

The 12-brand passenger car and trucks maker has valuable non-core assets but Porsche and Skoda are not up for sale

Sometimes it is underestimated how much Porsche is intertwined in the group. They depend on 80 percent on Audi platforms. The Porsche model 17.5 percent margin is only possible within the group. The same applies to Skoda

Link