Volkswagen to apply agency sales model to Group brands

The Volkswagen Group wants to extend the agency model known from the ID.3 and ID.4 in sales to other Group brands. Skoda, Audi, Cupra and VW Commercial Vehicles are also to distribute their e-models in this way. In addition, the model is to be used in other countries.

The agency model, in which customers order directly from the manufacturer, and the dealer only acts as an intermediary (or agent), was introduced in 2020 under the then sales director Jürgen Stackmann. His successor Klaus Zellmer now announced at the Wolfsburg-based company’s European dealer congress that the sales model would be significantly expanded.

“We plan to expand Volkswagen Passenger Cars’ very successful online agency sales model for battery-electric models for private customers in Germany to other European markets such as France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Poland, Ireland and Sweden,” says Zellmer.

In addition, Audi, Skoda, Cupra and VW Commercial Vehicles are also to distribute their new electric models via the agency model. VW Passenger Cars had introduced the model for the distribution of the MEB family. This restriction to the Modular Electric Toolkit apparently does not apply to the now announced expansion – which means that Audi would probably also distribute the upcoming PPE models via the agency model. Since Porsche is not mentioned in the list, the sports car brand’s PPE electric cars will probably continue to be sold via the classic dealer model.

Zellmer announced that he would start coordinating with the dealer associations “in the coming weeks”. However, a company spokesperson told Automobilwoche that the talks were not expected to be concluded before 2022.

The Skoda dealer association sees no fundamental problem with the new distribution model but criticises the decision differently. “In principle, this is not a problem if the framework conditions are defined between the trade and the manufacturer,” Thomas Peckruhn, president at the Skoda dealer association, told Automobilwoche. “But the Skoda dealer association is of the opinion that the distribution of the entire range should take place via one model.”

cardealermagazine.co.uk, automobilwoche.de (in German)