In the first three quarters of the year, Volkswagen recorded total costs of €7.5 billion. This amount includes write-offs due to the modernization and elimination of shortcomings in Porsche's technical solutions, as well as funds directed toward the concern's transition to electric vehicle platforms. An additional burden was imposed by American tariffs on European cars — their impact this year could cost the company up to €5 billion.
Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz said that Volkswagen plans to focus efforts on improving internal processes, more efficient use of shared resources between brands, and expanding production capacity to reduce the financial burden. Despite quarterly losses, the concern is currently not changing its operating margin forecast in the range of 2–3% and expects to end the year with revenues comparable to last year's.
During the year, forecasts have already been revised three times: first due to the impact of the trade policy of American President Donald Trump, and now due to significant losses at Porsche in the third quarter. Against the backdrop of these difficulties, there have also been changes in management. Oliver Blume, who currently combines the positions of head of Volkswagen and Porsche, will hand over management of Porsche in 2026. Investors are increasingly expressing doubts about the appropriateness of such a combination of leadership functions during a period of instability.
For Ukraine, this is evidence that global automakers are going through a difficult stage of transformation, and the transition to electric technologies requires large investments. Such fluctuations may also affect the domestic market — from possible delivery delays to a revision of the pricing policy of brands present in our country.
