For the 50th anniversary, Volkswagen is putting a popular model series on the sidelines.
The realignment at VW is due to the e-mobility offensive.
Wolfsburg / Munich - Regardless of the Corona crisis, Volkswagen is pushing electrification with all its might.
This recently caused the VW share to soar, which was not to be expected, which, according to reports, has largely to do with the declaration of war on Tesla.
This ambitious project is fraught with all sorts of upheavals at Europe's largest car company.
As a result of one of the measures, fans of the VW Polo model series must now be quite strong: 50 years after its market launch, the iconic small car will be sidelined by the group in a few years.
This is reported by the
Business Insider
portal
with reference to various sources from the Volkswagen Group.
VW bans the Polo model series from the model range - "As efficient as possible"
The innovative strength at VW has long been responsible for decisions that also result in disappointed reactions.
The very prospect that the Passat would be thrown out of the range in a few years caused horror among many fans.
The VW Passat sedan will no longer be produced in the near future, but will continue to exist as a station wagon for the time being.
Another model of the Wolfsburg is apparently completely discontinued.
For decades it has been a loyal companion to millions of drivers around the world: the VW Polo.
The head of the VW Passenger Cars division made corresponding suggestions at a strategy event in March.
Ralf Brandstätter implemented “core models” that have a medium-term future at the manufacturer: VW Golf, Tiguan, Passat, Tayron and T-Roc.
VW Tayron?
This is not a Volkswagen model in an exotic market, rather the future successor to the Tiguan Allspace bears this name.
The right hand of CEO Herbert Diess continued: “We still need the combustion engine for a certain period of time, as efficiently as possible.
That is why the next generation of our core products is getting the latest generation of plug-in hybrid technology.
According to the information, these cars will have an electric range of up to 100 kilometers and represent a solution for those VW customers who do not (yet) dare to switch to electromobility.
VW Polo: That’s why the popular small car is out of the portfolio
The fact that the VW Polo, which is equally popular with novice drivers and retirees, is not included in the list allegedly has several reasons, as the magazine explains with reference to VW circles:
Electrifying the drive unit would, as with the even smaller VW Up, devour too much money.
Apparently, the current price structure for polo could not be maintained without a loss in the margin.
In addition, the production of the VW Polo in Pamplona (Spain) is already too complex and expensive.
In addition, the small car, steeped in history, as a front-wheel drive car is apparently no longer up-to-date.
The fact that Volkswagen ignores the large potential buyers of a small car is of course ruled out.
So the question is: how does Germany's largest automaker want to score in this segment in the future?
There are three solutions for this.
On the one hand, the measure reduces the risk of cannibalization: With the VW T-Cross, the group owns a Polo-like crossover which, due to its dimensions, falls into the same segment, costs a similar amount and therefore has the same target group.
The group brother Skoda Fabia also plays a role, also a small car and already a popular - and somewhat cheaper - alternative to the VW Polo.
VW with electric car offensive: new electricity replaces the small car Polo
The most important point: Another replacement will be launched as an electric car as planned in 2025 - 50 years after the first-generation VW Polo was presented.
Below the VW ID.3, the Lower Saxony is sending a smaller e-brother to the start, presumably the ID.2.
It was actually planned for 2027, but is now being brought forward and should be available from around 20,000 euros.
How the new mobility offensive at Volkswagen will be presented in detail, the group recently gave an outlook at the "VW Power Day":
Nonetheless, there is also good news for VW Polo enthusiasts.
The current generation Polo 6 (AW) will soon be given a facelift, which will be more extensive than usual and will be offered as a new car for some time to come.
(PF)