Volkswagen Group has reportedly paused development of the ID. Golf, the electric version of its next-generation Golf flagship. Operating profit fell 98.7% in the first nine months of the year compared with the same period last year.
The development freeze comes amid a major restructuring. Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 jobs and may close up to four factories in Germany.
The works council, which represents Volkswagen employees, called the freeze “another signal of how dire the group's financial situation has become.”
The ID. Golf was expected to be among the first models to use Volkswagen's next-generation software architecture, with a possible launch around 2028. The pause underscores how the company's financial difficulties are affecting its future product pipeline.