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Volkswagen Group's Vision 2030 strategy could bring revolution to the brands

One would expect a corporate plan called "Vision 2030," looking 11 years ahead through wildly tumultuous times, to involve great change and numerous forks in numerous roads. According to Automobile's breakdown of Volkswagen's path forward, though, the plans contain some lurid potential surprises. The ultimate aim is return on investment, and that means ruthless reorganization of a conglomerate with eight primary car brands, two car sub-brands, and Ducati motorcycles. The first two Vision 2030 cornerstones Automobile mentions are near boilerplate: Production network restructuring, and "streamlining of key technologies." The latter two are the ones that could upend what we know as the Volkswagen Group: focusing on the Group's core brands — meaning Audi, Porsche, and VW — and transitioning to EVs, autonomy, and other mobility solutions. Based on the report, a quote from Audi's CTO referring to the Audi brand could cover how the Group plans to handle all of its brands: "We need to find a sustainable solution for the indefinite transition period until EVs eventually take over." The boutique divisions adjacent to carmaking, Ducati and Italdesign, look likely to be spun off. For the halo car brands — Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — apparently shareholders want double-digit returns on investment, and the trio doesn't have long to hit the target. One eyebrow raiser is when the report states, "Bugatti is tipped to be gifted to [ex-VW Group Chairman] Ferdinand Piech." Piech fathered the Veyron during his tenure at VW, and it was thought he commissioned the La Voiture Noire, but he's lately stepped so far back from VW that he sold all his shares in the Group. Automobile quoted a senior strategist as saying of money-losing Bentley, "Why invest on a backward-looking enterprise when you can support a trendsetter? A proud history and excellent craftmanship alone don't cut it anymore." We guess no one at Ferrari, McLaren, or even Porsche got that memo. Bentley is reportedly close to being put in time out, and if brand CEO Adrian Hallmark can't right the Crewe ship, the hush-hush Plan B is to prop the Flying B up enough to lure a buyer. As for Lamborghini, caught between two masters at Audi and Porsche, even record-breaking numbers at the Italian supercar maker barely staved off sacrilege. It's said that VW brand CEO Herbert Diess considered putting a 5.0-liter Porsche V8 into the Aventador successor.

In case you forgot, the Dubai Police supercar fleet is the coolest

Ever wonder why the Dubai Police have a fleet of vehicles worth millions and millions and millions of dollars? Why it has a Bugatti Veyron and a Bentley Continental and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with sirens and light bars? Well, here's the reason. This video shows the fleet on display on the Emirate's roads and highways, while also reaching out to the people the police are meant to protect. It's an impressive display of machinery, to be sure. Alongside the Bentley, Bugatti and Mercedes, we spy a Ferrari FF, a Brabus G-Wagen, a BMW M6, a Nissan GT-R, an Audi R8 and a McLaren MP4-12C (although the latest Dubai Police car, the Lexus RC F, is absent). The video even has a very cinematic look and feel to it, which works well with the night scenes and the blues-and-twos of the exotics cruisers. News Source: Dubai Police via YouTube Audi Bentley BMW Bugatti Ferrari McLaren Mercedes-Benz Nissan Luxury Performance Videos dubai ferrari ff mclaren 12c

Bugatti is planning several additional variants of the Chiron

Bugatti confirmed it's done trying to build the fastest car in the world, but that doesn't mean it will shift its focus away from performance. The company's chief executive confirmed additional high-performance variants of the Chiron are on the way, and they'll each explore different ways to go fast. Speaking with Roadshow, Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann admitted putting such a big emphasis on top speed was a mistake. "If you look back at the 1920s and the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti has never done only top speed," he pointed out. "Performance is not just going straight and going very fast." Bugatti started moving way from jaw-dropping top speed figures when it introduced the Divo, a Chiron-based model developed with handling in mind, in 2018. Looking ahead, the company will continue to release different variants of the Chiron developed to excel in other performance realms. That seemingly means the 304-mph Chiron Super Sport 300+ will remain the company's fastest car. While he stopped short of laying out the company's product plan, Winkelmann outlined a variant with an impressive power-to-weight ratio, and one that puts an unprecedented priority on handling. There will be others, too; he predicted the Chiron's basic platform can soldier on until about 2025, though production is strictly limited to 500 examples, and a good chunk of the run has already been claimed. Bugatti has time to figure out which direction the Chiron's successor should go in. In the meantime, its research and development department has already started thinking about a second model that will, in Winkelmann's words, be a different type of car. While rumors point to an SUV, he hinted the model could arrive as a "two-plus-two for daily use, with more room and more luggage compartment," and it might receive some form of electrification to keep fuel economy and emissions in check.