VW: “fundamental transformation” needed amid war, tariffs

Volkswagen Group Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz previously called the company’s 2025 performance “not sufficient in the long run,” and he repeated that sentiment when considering Q1 2026. However, he quite rightly pointed out that “the world has changed significantly” in just the last 18 months: US tariffs, competition from China and war in the Middle East have irrevocably altered the status quo; a protracted period of adjustment for a company of VW’s scale seems inevitable.