Volkswagen Group to cut 75 models by 2035 in natural transition

The Volkswagen Group plans to remove 75 models from its line-up by 2035. CEO Thomas Schäfer made these comments at the 2026 Paris Motor Show. He says this move is part of a natural transition involving halving the number of models.

The change is driven by rules ending combustion engines in Europe by 2035. Some models will be lost because they switch to electrification instead. Schäfer noted that an ID Polo and a Polo will not exist at the same time.

In September, the Group announced its Future Plan 2030 strategy. This includes cutting 100,000 jobs to reduce operating costs. The goal is to boost operations in North America and China as well.

The process of eliminating models was not seen as a problem by Schäfer. He mentioned the T-Roc Cabriolet loss specifically due to low sales. This reorganisation focuses on keeping the most profitable products.

Other brands like Audi and Porsche face different timelines for stopping ICE cars. Schäfer said 2035 is not necessarily a threshold for them. Complications arose when applying this plan to those premium marques.

New models will be managed in synergy groups to avoid overlap. If multiple brands want a vehicle in the same size, they cluster them together. One brand takes responsibility to manage that segment for all of them.

The Electric Urban Car Family shows this streamlined strategy in action. It includes the Cupra Raval, VW ID. Polo, Skoda Epiq and VW ID. Cross. All cars use the same architecture but have different identities.

A new VW ID. up! electric city car is coming next year. Volkswagen will be the only brand offering a car in that class for now. Plans for sister models are paused due to the small size of this market.