VW Deep in Crisis

This Popular Car Brand Is Set to Disappear Soon

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03.09.2026 13:49
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While Volkswagen’s brutal cost-cutting program keeps everyone on edge, Seat enthusiasts are now facing some grim news. According to a report, VW Group management intends to discontinue the Spanish car brand entirely. The plans are said to be well advanced—with an end date already set ...

Increasing competition from Chinese automakers in Europe and the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are putting VW CEO Oliver Blume under mounting pressure. Seat is now also likely to fall victim to the crisis triggered by these developments. The brand is set to be taken off the market by 2029 at the latest, writes “Wirtschaftswoche,” citing the corresponding executive board resolution. The VW supervisory board is scheduled to vote on this resolution on Friday.

VW CEO Oliver Blume
VW CEO Oliver Blume(Bild: AFP/RONNY HARTMANN)

This move is intended to reduce complexity and the investment burden within the Core brand group—which also includes Skoda. “Continuing Seat in its current form would tie up additional resources, while strategic development is to be focused within the Cupra brand group,” according to relevant strategy documents. 

No stone will be left unturned at the popular automaker.
No stone will be left unturned at the popular automaker.(Bild: AFP/STR)
The Seat Ibiza is one of the car brand’s most iconic models.
The Seat Ibiza is one of the car brand’s most iconic models.(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

However, a Volkswagen spokesperson declined to comment on the internal documents. “These will be discussed and approved by the relevant committees. We are not preempting this process,” he explained.


 Faces Threat of Tens of Thousands of Job Cuts
In addition to the Seat spin-off, the executive board plans to discuss the long-term prospects for the plants in Zwickau, Emden, Hanover, and Neckarsulm on Friday. A potential reduction of tens of thousands of jobs worldwide is also likely to be on the agenda.

VW management has been emphasizing for some time now that the ongoing job cuts—50,000 jobs by 2030—and the cost savings achieved so far in the factories are, in their view, insufficient. 

Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) tried on Wednesday to allay the concerns of employees in Zwickau. “There will be no decision on this matter on Friday either,” he said in a Facebook video statement. He noted that the point had not yet been reached where a final decision would be made on Volkswagen’s future. Kretschmer highlighted the plant’s efficiency and called for the company, the workforce, and policymakers to stand together.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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