Update: Volkswagen Product Communications Director Stefan Voswinkel has responded to our inquiry. He neither confirmed nor denied the reported model cuts: "We do not comment on speculation regarding future models or decisions regarding the product cycle plan."
When the Volkswagen Group outlined its massive cost-cutting agenda last week, there was no mention of plant closures or layoffs. However, the German automotive giant did speak openly about its plan to cut as much as 50 percent of its current model portfolio by 2030. As if that wasn’t bad enough, between now and the end of the decade, the number of available options will be slashed by 75 percent. At the same time, annual production capacity will fall from the current 10 million to just 9 million vehicles.
