Volkswagen (VW) is preparing a significant shake-up of its US operations, bringing in new leadership and broadening its model line-up to include a pickup truck, German business newspaper Handelsblatt reported.
The German carmaker is reviewing its entire US model range, with the source indicating that certain models could be dropped altogether, and is set to appoint Marco Schubert, currently Audi’s outgoing sales chief, to head its American business.
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He will take over from Kjell Gruner, who is departing the company.
Thomas Schäfer, head of the VW brand, has flagged pickups and large SUVs as areas for expansion, pointing to strong demand and healthy margins in these categories in the US – segments where VW currently has no presence.
The automaker is targeting a launch for its first pickup truck before 2030, with the vehicle to be built in the US, according to the source cited in the report.
VW runs a manufacturing site in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where output of the electric ID.4 was wound down earlier than planned in April.
No decision has yet been made on whether VW will develop the pickup on its own, work with suppliers, or team up with another manufacturer, the source said, adding that a choice is likely within the coming weeks or months.
Ford is seen as the leading candidate for such a partnership.
VW and Ford have run a wide-ranging European partnership since 2020, through which Ford builds its Explorer and Capri models on VW’s MEB electric platform at a plant in Cologne, Germany.
In commercial vehicles, Ford’s Tourneo draws on technology from VW’s Caddy, while the VW Transporter is built on the Ford Transit platform and, like the Transit, is produced at Ford’s factory in Turkey.
VW’s Amarok pickup, made in South Africa, is also based on a shared platform with the Ford Ranger.
The Chattanooga facility currently produces the Atlas SUV along with a derivative model, while smaller vehicles such as the Tiguan, Taos and Jetta are brought in from Mexico and face tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump.
Just Auto has contacted VW for comment.
The news comes after Porsche SE, VW’s majority shareholder, called last week for swift action to bolster the VW Group’s competitive position, having booked billions of euros in impairments linked to its stake in the company.
