The choice of the VW Board of Administration to launch “ACCELERATE FORWARD | Street to six.5” follows an evaluation of the very difficult market surroundings and the financial state of affairs. Schäfer: “This system is the primary precedence for your entire Board of Administration. We should construct new power for the Volkswagen model and place it robustly for future development, which is why we at the moment are getting an unlimited concerted effort off the bottom. We have to obtain a sustainable return on gross sales of 6.5 p.c within the Volkswagen model. Attaining this in 2026 could be very bold, however possible if we pool our efforts. This can allow us to safeguard jobs, finance our future from our personal assets and proceed to put money into new autos and applied sciences, within the modernization of our crops and in workers coaching.” Schäfer reveals the keys to this: “Leveraging synergies and changing into extra environment friendly, quicker and more practical throughout all divisions of the Firm. Stephan Wöllenstein is among the most skilled worldwide managers we might have chosen to handle this core program. With “ACCELERATE FORWARD | Street to six.5” we are going to collectively lay the foundations for profitable implementation of our model technique.”
Profitable way forward for VW model – a standard objective for Board of Administration and Works Council
On the works assembly, the Administration Board and the Works Council confirmed that they’d proceed to work collectively on the widespread and equally essential targets of profitability and job safety. Basic Works Council Chairwoman Daniela Cavallo mentioned:“ All of us agree that we have to obtain the focused financial savings with out lowering collectively agreed wages or shedding jobs. As a result of the decisive levers are others.” Cavallo highlighted the fields of Group administration, cooperation between the manufacturers, give attention to software program and product high quality. “I anticipate a convincing dovetailing of the strategically decisive fields. We should lastly constantly set these central levers in movement in an effort to exploit these alternatives for enchancment which are inherent in our firm in the long run. On this context, it is usually essential to maintain the workforce properly knowledgeable and concerned all through your entire course of.”
New program construction with interdisciplinary flagship initiatives
At its core, in 2026 alone, “ACCELERATE FORWARD | Street to six.5” is predicted to enhance earnings by round 10 billion euros in an effort to sustainably understand a return on gross sales of 6.5 p.c. This system will likely be carried out at two ranges. The primary degree entails main motion areas throughout the model: administration, technical growth, materials prices, merchandise, worth/combine, automobile development in addition to gross sales and high quality. Every motion space will pursue particular targets and measures and thus assist to realize this system’s goals by way of prices and revenues. As well as, ACCELERATE FORWARD will observe a brand new, collaborative technique on a second degree of measures: flagship initiatives spanning a number of motion areas will guarantee larger effectivity and improve earnings. The main target right here will likely be on points corresponding to lowering complexity and the variety of variants, the gross sales mannequin, lowering pink tape, in addition to product and yield optimization within the two main toolkits, the Modular Transverse Toolkit (MQB) and the Modular Electrical Drive Toolkit (MEB).
Schäfer gave the primary concrete examples on the works assembly: Volkswagen intends to focus extra on quantity fashions. Decrease-volume fashions just like the VW Arteon will likely be discontinued. Schäfer: “We are going to give attention to a small variety of – although real – Volkswagen core fashions. This can scale back complexity and ship greater earnings.” Lowering the variety of variants gives one other alternative: For the ID.7, for instance, this implies 99 p.c fewer configuration choices in comparison with a Golf 7. As well as, the Firm intends to optimize the plant capability utilization in an effort to improve profitability and be capable to reply extra flexibly to fluctuations in demand and the market sooner or later.
Model Board of Administration with general accountability, PMO administration to be taken over by Stephan Wöllenstein
The efficiency program will likely be organized by a lean Venture Administration Workplace (PMO) underneath the route of Stephan Wöllenstein. Duty for managing the general program lies with the Model Board of Administration. Particular person Board of Administration members will take the lead within the motion areas and flagship initiatives. The particular steps are to be outlined by mid-September in session with the worker representatives. This system is predicted to be up and working by October 2023 with all its particulars outlined and its measures in place and will likely be transposed into an settlement with the worker representatives within the context of the planning spherical.
Additional synergy potential within the Quantity model group
The Quantity model group gives further essential leverage on the trail to extra synergies and better returns. On this group, Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles, Volkswagen Business Automobiles, SEAT/CUPRA and Škoda all work intently collectively. For instance, manufacturing throughout the Quantity model group will likely be geared much more systematically to multi-brand crops and automobile platforms sooner or later – for instance, in reference to VW’s deliberate entry-level electrical automobile costing round 25,000 euros SEAT/CUPRA is to take the lead of the Small-BEV-Household Cluster. One other instance for synergies is the joint growth and manufacturing of the Volkswagen Passat and Škoda Very good, which achieves efficiencies of 600 million euros over the lifetime of each fashions. Over and above this, the manufacturers within the Quantity model group intend to press forward with the optimization of promoting bills and overheads constantly throughout manufacturers, for instance, via a joint after-sales enterprise.
