IAA Mobility: Chairman of the supervisory board Pötsch believes that VW may have further financial needs

In view of the high investments in new battery cell plants and self-driving cars, Volkswagen does not rule out further financial requirements.

The Wolfsburg-based group is currently in a position to finance the costs of the transformation from the free inflow of funds due to well-running business, said supervisory board chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch of the Reuters news agency in an interview published on Tuesday.

“So we can both pay out good dividends and finance our business up front without any problems,” said Pötsch.

"But of course we are in an environment in which we cannot rule out the possibility of investing even larger amounts, for example in the field of autonomous driving."

Porsche goes public

Pötsch did not comment on a possible IPO of Porsche AG.

From today's perspective, the Group's financial situation looks relatively comfortable.

“And in the course of the large planning rounds that we carry out every year, we regularly check where there is a need.” Pötsch did not mention the possibilities for financing projects, nor did he say which ones they might be.

The chief supervisor simply said, "The shrewd financier will always have a list of ways that one could do to give the corporation expanded financial flexibility."

CEO Herbert Diess recently said that he was not giving priority to a possible partial IPO of the Stuttgart sports car subsidiary.

Nevertheless, investors hope that Volkswagen would not be averse to taking such a step.

Reuters had reported in May, citing insiders, that the family owners Porsche and Piech had simulated scenarios for a Porsche IPO.

Group restructuring almost complete

Pötsch also said that the Volkswagen Group's restructuring has largely been completed.

“We have formed a group of premium brands around Audi.

These include Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati.

And nothing should change that. ”Investors had long speculated about a possible sale of the luxury sports car brand Lamborghini and the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati.

Pötsch, who was the Group's CFO for a long time before moving to the top of the supervisory board in the wake of the diesel scandal in 2015, is also CEO of Porsche SE. The Porsche and Piech families hold the majority of the Wolfsburg-based car company through this holding company.