Wolfsburg, Feb. 12 (BNA): German automaker Volkswagen plans to expand digital services and electric mobility, the supervisory board said, as it weighs investments for the next five years after discussions were delayed due to IT development problems.
The council said the council intends to “clear roadmap of programs and platforms” to expand digitization and electric mobility, without revealing final details, dpa reported.
The board also wants to improve profitability, with plans to ensure activities are focused “on the most attractive profit pools”.
A software development issue has led CEO Oliver Blum to postpone these planning discussions, which usually take place in November.
He plans to revamp the strategy of his predecessor Herbert Dease and set more compelling goals.
The delays at Volkswagen were caused in part by the IT subsidiary Cariad, which will develop its own automotive software, which has been hit with expensive delays.
Influential affiliates Audi and Porsche have also opposed this approach in the past.
Volkswagen said it is now ready to present its investment and model plans along with its annual figures for 2022 on March 14.
All eyes are on the most important project of the medium term, the all-digital Trinity model.
The board members also nominated a new member, Günter Horvath. He is set to take over from Louise Kiesling, who died in December.
The niece of former Volkswagen patriarch Ferdinand Piech was seen as an intermediary between the Porsche and Piech families, who are majority shareholders in the group via Porsche Holding.