The difficult time of the Volkswagen Group continues, which lost EUR 5.8 billion in the third quarter of 2026 – more than five times the same period last year.
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29/10/2026
by
Lusa
A giant automobile Volkswagen suffered losses of €5.8 billion in the third quarter, a value more than five times the one year before, mainly due to chinese competition.
According to a statement by the German group, the main cause of exceptional factors, which total EUR 7.8 billion, is the devaluation of Porsche-related assets.
The luxury car subsidiary, which faces serious difficulties, has suffered a devaluation of EUR 6.4 billion.
Assets in China, market where the car manufacturer, who is experiencing a crisis, faces fierce competition, eur 1 billion has also been devalued.
The cumulative impact of these factors over nine months amounts to EUR 8.7 billion, informed Volkswagen.
Context with many adversities
Other exceptional factors include the financial impact of the interruption of production of the electric model ID.4 in the United States, restructuring costs and costs associated with the planned sale of the Osnabrück plant (in western Germany), which should be converted to the defence sector.
“We are feeling the weight of US tariffs, the Chinese market is shrinking and, in Europe, competitive pressure is increasing considerably“, explained the company’s financial director, Arno Antlitz, quoted in the statement.
In China, deliveries of vehicles in the third quarter fell 38.5 percent, totaling 405,800 units, according to data previously released by Volkswagen.
In this scenario, the group, which owns ten brands (VW, Audi, Porsche, Seat, among others), between july and september there was an operational loss of almost eur 5.9 billion, which is equivalent to a negative margin of 7.8 percent. In the first nine months of the year and without taking into account exceptional factors, the operating margin will have reached 3.8 percent.
Forecasts have already been reviewed below
In view of Chinese competition, volkswagen reduced the forecast to 2026 in mid-September, designing a margin of at most one percent, compared to the 4-5 percent previously estimated.
Involved in a a broad restructuring programme, integrated into an agreement with trade unions which provides for the elimination of up to 100,000 jobs, the group, which has around 648 thousand employees worldwide, seeks to save a total of 31 billion euros.
Between July and September, Volkswagen’s revenue totalled 75.3 billion euros, a 6.3 percent drop.