Uncertain times at VW: Germany’s No. 1 automaker between a new boss and strong brands


The Auto Week is all about VW. The leading German carmaker has a new leader. As soon as Oliver Blume is the new VW boss, there seems to be at least a breath of fresh air – and one or the other group brand is also making a name for itself.

At Volkswagen, a newcomer is behind the wheel – at least partially. On September 1st, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume took over as CEO of Germany’s largest car manufacturer, currently number 2 in the world behind Toyota. At the same time, Blume will retain his old position, and he will continue to be responsible for the direction in which Porsche is developing.

New VW boss: Blume does not turn off the juice for electric cars

Right at the beginning of his time at the head of the VW Group, Blume made it clear: the electric course will be maintained. Where possible, the new boss wants that Focus on electric cars rather sharpen and faster in the implementation. However, he does not take back the positive statements about e-fuels that Blume had made shortly before the change at the top of VW.

Lease an e-car and collect a bonus of €6,000

Blume doesn’t seem to be a fan of either/or: battery-electric cars, classic BEVs, are still the way to go for the majority of VW. At the same time, he sees possible areas of application for climate-neutral fuels, especially at Porsche.

It quickly becomes apparent that things will be different with Oliver Blume at VW: In addition to consolidating the electric timetable, the top manager thinned out the ranks of his colleagues on the Executive Board on the very first day. He immediately scrapped two of the departments introduced by his predecessor Herbert Diess at the beginning of the year. The number of board members will thus fall from 12 to 10. Blume wants to save at least one more position in the management.

Cars are becoming more expensive, and the price advantage for electric vehicles is also shrinking:

In the future, the “strong brands” from VW will be even more in the spotlight. He has not yet revealed which flower is meant by that. But in addition to the core brand VW, Porsche should also become more important. parallel to the change of power in the past week, however, Skoda in particular has made a name for itself.

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All signs point to electricity: Skoda is blossoming into a figurehead for VW

The Czechs want to strengthen their brand. Klaus Zellmer has also been a new man at the top for a few months – and almost immediately Skoda turns the regulator up a notch for e-cars. Three new models are to appear by 2026, covering almost the entire range: a fully electric small car is to inherit the Citigo, a compact SUV could become the new volume model – and with the Vision 7S, Skoda is presenting the new electric spearhead in terms of size and technology .

Mobility – something is happening: E-cars, electric bicycles, e-scooters, the 9-euro ticket for bus and train – all of this moves us in two ways. And what has happened in terms of mobility?

But the real announcement with the chance to become a figurehead for the group is this: The Octavia, Skoda’s most popular model, is to be electric, and the market launch is planned for the second half of 2026. With the Electrification of your own number 1 Skoda is taking a promising path. Porsche is also on the road: the E-Macan is also intended to transfer the top seller of the combustion engines to the electric segment and inspire a corresponding number of customers. We are excited to see if the plans work out.



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