Volkswagen has enough SUVs now, says R&D chief

There's little room left in Volkswagen’s line-up for more SUVs, according to the firm’s R&D boss, Frank Welsch.

The German maker has 14 SUVs in its range globally, up from two just a few years ago. Although Welsch wouldn’t go so far as to confirm there would be no more, he said the brand has ample numbers for its need.

“I don’t think [the growth in SUVs] is over, but we have enough. We do not need 10 more. We have to take care. We must have a portfolio that is efficient as a volume player.

"If we have too many models and sell 30,000 or 40,000 units a year, we can’t make money. We will focus on the cars that can be successful.”

SUVs confirmed for launch are in the electric ID family and include standard and coupé variants of the ID 4.

Welsch added that VW would cull models on its MQB platform “step by step”. Models on that architecture include the Volkswagen Arteon, Volkswagen Touran and Volkswagen Passat, but Welsch didn’t detail which models will go.

With the launch of new models, in particular in its ID family, and the axing of others, Welsch predicted the number of cars offered will be similar. “I don’t think we’ll have more cars than we have today. For SUVs, we are represented in every segment,” he said.

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