Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said the German automaker’s overhead costs remain more than 30% higher than those of comparable companies. He said the frequently cited figure of around 50,000 jobs worldwide is derived from the cost gap and indicates the scale of action required, rather than setting a fixed job-cut target. Volkswagen currently offers around 150 models across its brands and plans to reduce that number to about 75 by cutting variants and overlaps, with the changes expected to become clearer from 2027. Blume said the Emden, Hannover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm plants are not expected to achieve competitive capacity utilization in the 2030s, although no decision has been made on specific closures. Rising costs, intensifying competition from China and new Chinese plants in Europe are increasing pressure on the group. Volkswagen’s controlling families have demanded dramatic restructuring, while Blume said the company aims to remain successful worldwide, set technological standards and stay firmly rooted in Germany.