Der Spiegel: Volkswagen is hovering one step away from disaster

An internal survey conducted among Volkswagen’s top managers showed a shocking picture: the group’s top management assesses its situation as critical, and the majority of board members believe that the company is on the brink of survival, Der Spiegel reports.

An anonymous study, the results of which were published by manager magazin, revealed that of the nine board members surveyed, six called the situation “threatening the existence” of the concern, the newspaper notes.

Three others described it as “stressful,” and none of the respondents considered the situation “not critical.” At the same time, all nine survey participants unanimously supported the need for a radical change in strategy, pointing to the priority markets of China and North America.

According to the publication, such a harsh self-assessment came against the background of recent disastrous quarterly reports of the group’s brands and indicates a deep systemic crisis in the company, which for many years remained the flagship of the German automotive industry.

Earlier it became known about Volkswagen’s plans to build an army assault vehicle.