2018 Volkswagen Arteon

Volkswagen Arteon officially dead as company plots upcoming product cull

As the auto industry evolves its way into a new and somewhat challenging electrified era, many car companies are looking for ways to cut costs and boost profits.

One of the ways to achieve this is through product rationalisation, and that’s exactly what Volkswagen aims to implement in the coming years.

The German carmaker announced its “Accelerate Forward - Road to 6.5” programme on Thursday, with the aim of achieving a 6.5% return on sales by 2026, effectively improving its earnings by around 10 billion euros (R198 billion).

Along with the streamlining of production and administrative processes, Volkswagen Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer said the company would rationalise the model range and reduce the number of model grades on offer, while improving quality.

Schäfer didn’t mention how many products would be dropped from the line-up, but he did use the Arteon as an example of a lower-volume model that would face the axe soon.

 
RIP Volkswagen Arteon

The sleek and stylish Volkswagen Arteon is one of the many models that’s getting axed as the German brand rationalises its lineup.

It’s not just the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace getting the axe as part of VW’s new strategy, but the striking Arteon too. Admittedly, the smart-looking sedan was discontinued in SA sometime ago on the back of poor sales and didn’t get the current facelifted version, which included a hot R model.

Still, losing some fringe models is a small price to pay in the overall greater scheme things. Volkswagen announced a new strategy in the middle of July 2023 where it would be focusing on revenue growth and investing in the future, but this means a streamlined product portfolio, reducing complexity of options and trim and so on. The focus will be on VW’s bread-and-butter models as well as its new electric ID range of vehicles.

“The program is the number one priority for the entire Board of Management,” said CEO Thomas Schäfer. “Achieving this in 2026 is very ambitious, but feasible if we pool our efforts. This will enable us to safeguard jobs, finance our future from our own resources and continue to invest in new vehicles and technologies, in the modernization of our plants and in staff training.”

When it came to SA in 2018, the Volkswagen Arteon impressed us. Not only did it look unique with its liftback 4-door coupe design, but the choice of engines were a great blend of performance and economy. You could opt for a 2.0 turbo diesel or a 2.0 turbo petrol, the latter paired with 4Motion all-wheel drive.

www.cars.co.za

RIP Volkswagen Arteon

The sleek and stylish Volkswagen Arteon is one of the many models that’s getting axed as the German brand rationalises its lineup. It’s not just the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace getting the axe as part of VW’s new strategy, but the striking Arteon too. Admittedly, the smart-looking sedan was...
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
I swear these are worth more now than I remember them selling for brand new.

Bit like a Golf 5 GTI unicorn?
 
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