VW swaps tactics for van sales dealers

Under the return to a wholesale model, Skoda will be the first of the group’s brands to switch back to franchised agreements for EVs on 20 February, followed by VW, Audi and VW CVs at the start of April.

A Volkswagen Group spokesperson said: “Following discussions with Brand Investor Councils from Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Audi and Skoda in the UK, we have reached a decision and issued a notification to our retailer partners. This states our intention to pause ‘Direct to Customer’ retail BEV sales for the short- to medium-term and return to the wholesale model.”

“Due to the slower transition to electric mobility across the industry, two sales models for private customers would need to be operated in parallel longer than originally anticipated – the agency model for all-electric vehicles and the indirect sales model for vehicles with other drivetrains. Maintaining this high level of complexity for an extended period would be a key challenge for the sales organisation. Therefore, a joint review process with the wholesale and retail organisations will start immediately to determine whether returning to an indirect sales model for BEVs might be a favourable alternative for the short- to mid-term.”

Advertisement