{"id":53652,"date":"2026-07-13T13:06:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/53652\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T13:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:06:56","slug":"jetta-and-taycan-among-10-cars-facing-the-axe-at-vw-group-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/53652\/","title":{"rendered":"Jetta And Taycan Among 10 Cars Facing The Axe At VW Group: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The VW Group plans to slash its model count by 50 percent.<br \/>\nIt hasn&#8217;t given any names, but German media already has a list of 10 cars.<br \/>\nThe Porsche Boxster and Cayman with combustion engines might not come back after all.<\/p>\n<p>UPDATE:\u00a0Volkswagen Product Communications Director Stefan Voswinkel has responded to our inquiry. He neither confirmed nor denied the reported model cuts: &#8220;We do not comment on speculation regarding future models or decisions regarding the product cycle plan.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<p>Although the company won\u2019t phase out models overnight, we did notice a sense of urgency in the press release. The first steps toward reducing model and variant complexity across the product portfolio have already been taken with &#8220;immediate effect,&#8221; which can only mean some nameplates are already living on borrowed time. Not only that, but German newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bild.de\/politik\/inland\/wende-im-vw-machtkampf-jetzt-doch-keine-werksschliessungen-6a52103036e98236c4bc5080\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Bild<\/a> claims to have a preliminary list of models potentially facing the axe.<\/p>\n<p>At the Volkswagen core brand, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/volkswagen\/jetta\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jetta<\/a> and Taos are apparently not going to live to see a next generation. Hardly anyone will miss the crossover, but the sedan has been a staple of the company\u2019s portfolio for nearly 40 years. While demand for sedans clearly isn\u2019t what it was a couple of decades ago, they\u2019re still reasonably popular. Other mainstream brands, such as Honda and Toyota, have made the math work in their favor, but the Jetta appears to be another victim of VW\u2019s cost-cutting. While the ID.5 isn&#8217;t mentioned, previous reports have pointed to its possible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/768388\/volkswagen-id5-discontinued-report\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22768388%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22volkswagen-id5-discontinued-report%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">demise<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16x9-tr.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"16\" height=\"9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Photo by: Porsche<\/p>\n<p>Porsche Could Axe Four Models<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;concrete list of discontinued models&#8221; mentioned by Bild also includes multiple vehicles carrying the Porsche crest. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/801208\/porsche-911-outselling-taycan-nearly-5-times\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22801208%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22porsche-911-outselling-taycan-nearly-5-times%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">slow-selling Taycan<\/a> electric sedan will allegedly die after the current generation runs its course, without receiving a direct successor. Similarly, the combustion-powered Cayenne Coupe is said to be on its last legs.<\/p>\n<p>But the one that really stings is the purported cancellation of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/773015\/porsche-confirms-new-718-gas-engines\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22773015%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22porsche-confirms-new-718-gas-engines%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gas-powered 718&#8217;s return<\/a>. Even though Porsche\u2019s &#8220;strategic realignment,&#8221; announced last September, called for an ICE comeback for the range-topping Boxster and Cayman models, it may not happen after all. Curiously, Bild does not mention the fully electric 718s, so we can deduce that the two-door EV sports cars are still happening.<\/p>\n<p>Porsche will provide clarity on its product portfolio this fall by outlining its Strategy 2035 at a Capital Markets Day on October 7. We should learn more about the new compact crossover with a gasoline engine that&#8217;s set to replace the original Macan, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/801083\/porsche-gas-macan-production-ends\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22801083%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22porsche-gas-macan-production-ends%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">goes out of production this month<\/a>. There might also be news about the long-announced three-row flagship SUV that will slot above the Cayenne.<\/p>\n<p>The VW Group\u2019s death list supposedly includes two crossover coupes you&#8217;re unlikely to cry over: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/742249\/2025-audi-q5-sportback\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22742249%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%222025-audi-q5-sportback%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Audi Q5 Sportback<\/a> and the electric Q6 E-Tron Sportback. Both are still relatively fresh products, so they\u2019re not going to disappear from the lineup in the next couple of years, but Audi is unlikely to replace them. Although the Taycan is on the list, the sister model, E-Tron GT, is apparently not, which seems rather odd.<\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16x9-tr.png\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;Audi A1&lt;\/p&gt;\" width=\"16\" height=\"9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16x9-tr.png\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;Audi Q2&lt;\/p&gt;\" width=\"16\" height=\"9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Their possible retirement would follow the recent end of production for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/793928\/audi-a1-q2-production-ends\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22793928%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22audi-a1-q2-production-ends%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A1 Sportback and Q2<\/a>. It\u2019s not all about shrinking the lineup, though, as the Q9 flagship SUV and A2 electric supermini are launching this year, with a two-door targa sports car due in 2027 as the production version of the Concept C.<\/p>\n<p>Bild reports the long-running <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/664382\/skoda-fabia-jeopardy-euro-7\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22664382%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22skoda-fabia-jeopardy-euro-7%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Skoda Fabia<\/a> is facing retirement as well. Strangely enough, the report doesn\u2019t mention its VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza sister models. We do know it\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult to make money on small combustion-engine cars in Europe as emissions regulations drive up production costs, inevitably eating into profit margins. Whether all three will bow out is unclear, but time is running out for non-electrified subcompact hatchbacks.<\/p>\n<p>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16x9-tr.png\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;2026 Cupra Raval&lt;\/p&gt;\" width=\"16\" height=\"9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Photo by: Cupra<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the VW Group\u2019s enormous portfolio, the Cupra Raval will allegedly meet its end after a single generation. It seems strange to cancel a second generation when the original car has barely gone on sale. Usually, carmakers wait to see how a model performs in the market before deciding its future. If the rumor is true, it would speak volumes about the scale of the VW Group\u2019s shake-up if it isn\u2019t even willing to give a new model a chance before axing it.<\/p>\n<p>No Changes At Lamborghini And Bentley?<\/p>\n<p>Lamborghini and Bentley aren\u2019t mentioned in the report, which is hardly surprising. Both brands have much smaller lineups and some of the industry&#8217;s healthiest profit margins, so there\u2019s little reason to tamper with a formula that works. That said, both have already made important strategic decisions: Lamborghini has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/797144\/lamborghini-boss-delaying-ev-right-way-to-go\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22797144%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22lamborghini-boss-delaying-ev-right-way-to-go%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">postponed the launch of its first EV<\/a>, and Bentley has abandoned its plan to go purely electric by 2035.<\/p>\n<p>Bugatti isn\u2019t mentioned either, but that\u2019s to be expected. The Molsheim-based marque recently cut all ties with the VW Group after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/793995\/porsche-sells-bugatti-rimac-stake\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22793995%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22porsche-sells-bugatti-rimac-stake%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Porsche sold its stake in Bugatti Rimac<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>All told, Bild alleges the VW Group will save as much as \u20ac6.5 billion (about $7.4 billion) by 2031 by not developing successors for these 10 cars. This might be just the tip of the iceberg, considering it represents far less than the up to 50-percent model cut the company is considering.<\/p>\n<p>Motor1 has reached out to the VW Group for a comment and will update the story if we hear back.<\/p>\n<p>                            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.motor1.com\/photos\/807865\/2022-skoda-fabia-monte-carlo\/#6476245_2022-skoda-fabia-monte-carlo\" class=\"msnt-photo-thumb-gallery-main-photo-box\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" data-url=\"\/photos\/807865\/2022-skoda-fabia-monte-carlo\/#6476245_2022-skoda-fabia-monte-carlo\" data-thumb=\"\" data-caption=\"\" data-src=\"\" data-sub-html=\"2022 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo\" data-entity-id=\"6476245\" data-download-url=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16x9-tr.png\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"2022 Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo\" width=\"16\" height=\"9\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                                    16                                <\/p>\n<p>Motor1&#8217;s Take:\u00a0This preliminary list isn\u2019t official, but it includes some surprising names, such as the Jetta and Fabia. These were once regarded as high-volume products, yet they now face extinction because it\u2019s no longer just about how well a car sells. Being popular isn\u2019t enough anymore, according to VW Group CEO Oliver Blume. It\u2019s all about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/801402\/vw-boss-admits-cars-not-profitable-enough\/\" data-inline-widget=\"internal-links\" data-type-id=\"0\" data-params=\"%7B%22article_edition_id%22%3A%22801402%22%2C%22section%22%3A%221%22%2C%22alias%22%3A%22vw-boss-admits-cars-not-profitable-enough%22%7D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">profit margins<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Enthusiasts will be bitterly disappointed if Porsche changes its mind and doesn\u2019t bring back the Boxster and Cayman with gasoline engines as it promised less than a year ago. However, nothing is official until the company says so, so we\u2019re still hopeful the 718\u2019s engines will roar again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"comfort-title-large flex gap-spacing-sm-base items-center\">\n<p>\t\tWe want your opinion!\n\t<\/p>\n<p>What would you like to see on Motor1.com?<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/survey\/2025\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tTake our 3 minute survey.\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"compact-body-medium\">&#8211; The Motor1.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The VW Group plans to slash its model count by 50 percent. It hasn&#8217;t given any names, but&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20947],"tags":[8364,31347,43073,24526,20968,20976,7069,24685,20967,28966,24293,23156,23763,20969,9775,43075,42,4424,8406,26477,43072,36433,21299,22235,39913,20966,21647,30598,43074,22236,10073,23579,5356,5523],"class_list":["post-53652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-volkswagen","tag-audi","tag-audi-q5-sportback","tag-audi-q6-e-tron-sportback","tag-b2b","tag-bentley","tag-bev","tag-bugatti","tag-crossover","tag-cupra","tag-cupra-raval","tag-efficiency-focused","tag-flagship","tag-jetta","tag-lamborghini","tag-luxury","tag-mass","tag-news","tag-petrol","tag-porsche","tag-porsche-boxster","tag-porsche-cayenne-coupe","tag-porsche-cayman","tag-porsche-taycan","tag-premium","tag-rumors","tag-seat","tag-sedan","tag-skoda","tag-skoda-fabia","tag-sporty","tag-suv","tag-taos","tag-volkswagen","tag-volkswagen-group"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}