Volkswagen must act now to secure competitiveness, the German auto group’s controlling families said on Thursday, in their clearest message yet to management amid a push to ramp up cost cuts and fend off Chinese rivals.
“The Volkswagen Group is at a historic crossroads. For the sake of the company and its sustainable competitiveness, everyone must now step up and take responsibility,” said Hans Dieter Poetsch, board chairman of Porsche SE, the investment vehicle of the Porsche/Piech auto dynasty and Volkswagen’s top shareholder.
“The longer decisions are delayed, the bigger the problems will become,” Poetsch added.
Porsche SE finance chief Johannes Lattwein called on the group to reduce excess capacity, significantly lower costs and strengthen decision-making.
Porsche SE reported a 14.5 per cent drop in its adjusted half-year earnings after tax to €949 million ($1.1 billion) on Friday.
It owns 31.9 per cent in Volkswagen and 12.5 per cent in its sports car subsidiary Porsche.
