Volkswagen Group restructures volume brand governance

Volkswagen Group has established a new cross-brand management structure for its Brand Group Core, which comprises the Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Škoda, Seat and Cupra, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands, with production, technical development and procurement functions to be managed centrally from January 2026. The restructuring aims to streamline decision-making and unlock cumulative savings of €1bn in production alone through 2030, with the total number of board members across the four brands to be reduced by approximately one third by summer 2026.

The newly formed Brand Group Core Board of Management will serve as the top decision-making body, while individual brand boards will retain four positions: chief executive, finance, human resources and sales. The group’s 20-plus production locations worldwide will be organised into five regional clusters, starting with plants on the Iberian Peninsula.

In a statement, Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Volkswagen AG Board of Management and Head of the Brand Group Core, said: “The new Brand Group Board of Management brings greater speed and steering for the optimal cross-brand outcome. That is why the focus is on management efficiency—and on faster process speed for more competitive products.”

Implementation began in January 2026 and will be completed by summer 2026.

Source: Volkswagen Group