Volkswagen Group is set to miss its traditional November deadline for finalising its five-year production planning, with the current strategic round now unlikely to be concluded in 2025 as key model, platform and investment decisions remain unresolved, German trade publication Automobilwoche reported, citing company sources.
The automaker typically uses the annual November planning round to determine which models will be built at which factories over the next five years. However, insiders said decisions are still pending at both management and supervisory board level, while existing proposals are said to be “incompatible with the available investment budget.” The delay marks the second consecutive year Volkswagen has missed its usual timeline. In 2024, planning was pushed back by a wage dispute and only finalised shortly before Christmas, including the decision to end vehicle production at the Dresden plant in 2025.
See also: Volkswagen Brand Group Core Moves to Regional Production Model in Efficiency Push
This year’s postponement reflects unresolved strategic questions rather than labour issues. Central among them is the future deployment of Volkswagen’s next-generation electric Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which is intended to replace the MEB platform for volume brands and the PPE platform for premium models, while also enabling 800-volt architectures for mass-market vehicles. Several models—including a future VW ID. Golf, ID. Touareg and a next-generation Škoda Octavia—have been cited as potential early SSP vehicles, but production locations and timelines remain undecided.
Audi’s U.S. product strategy is also still under review. Reports indicate the brand is evaluating a dedicated SUV for the U.S. market, potentially including a range-extender variant based on the Scout platform and built at Scout’s planned U.S. facility. The project has yet to receive formal approval from group management.
See also: Volkswagen Opens Expanded Hefei R&D Hub, Its First Full Development Center Outside Germany
Amid the strategic uncertainty, Volkswagen has made changes at the top of its planning organisation. The group has appointed Ludwig Fazel as its new Head of Group Strategy, Group Product Strategy and General Secretariat, effective Dec. 1, following the departure of Stefan Weckbach, the company said.
Restructuring efforts are also extending to Volkswagen’s physical footprint. The automaker is preparing to convert its Transparent Factory in Dresden into an innovation hub after vehicle production ends later this year, according to Handelsblatt. The move forms part of a broader reshaping of Volkswagen’s industrial and research operations.
See also: Volkswagen Outlines Major China Product Offensive as New PHEVs Debut at Auto Guangzhou 2025
One structural production decision has already been confirmed. Volkswagen is proceeding with a regional reorganisation of its production network for the Core brand group. The group’s 22 plants outside China will be divided into five regions: Germany and Poland under Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the Iberian Peninsula as a joint region, Eastern Europe combined with India, plus separate regions for North America and the Southern Hemisphere. Production planning in China will continue to be managed separately through joint ventures.