Volkswagen Group may put Bentley under Audi’s control

KUALA LUMPUR: Volkswagen Group owns some very prestigious premium auto brands such as Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ducati, etc. And these days, the Wolfsburg giant continues to reorganize its structure by analyzing the position of the individual brands. Amid the rumours of Rimac buying Bugatti, we are hearing one more major change in the group. 

According to a German trade publication Automobilwoche, Volkswagen group plans to move Bentley under the direct control of the Audi division. The British luxury car brand is currently under the supervision of Porsche’s CEO, Oliver Blume. The report says that from 2021 it would be a subsidiary of Audi AG as the group seeks economies of scale among its top-end brands.

Back in June, Volkswagen Group undertook complete ownership of the Audi AG by buying the last fragment of the company held by the minority shareholders till then. Now, we can observe the increasing role of Audi’s within the group; it now heads Volkswagen AG’s research and development efforts.

Coming back to the Audi-Bentley deal, the source reveals that the German marque will be overseeing Crewe’s technological and financial activities from next year. Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess has a belief that this move will optimize costs, and combine the potential and prestige of the British marque with the technologies of the house of the Four Rings, the report added.

The source further says that the upcoming Continental GT and Flying Spur sedan sibling may underpin the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which is currently being co-developed by Audi and Porsche.

Well, there is no official confirmation on this at the moment as Volkswagen declined to make a comment on the German media claims.

Sources close to the matter also report that VAG is currently hosting preliminary discussions with bidders for its Ducati brand to measure the potential interest ahead of its November planning round. Moreover, the VW group also has plans for a soon stock market listing of the Lamborghini marque.

Also read: 2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed revealed with a new look and same W12 engine