Autonomous vehicle division of Volkswagen up for potential sale
Volkswagen Group is actively seeking strategic partnerships and capital increases to strengthen its position in electric vehicles (EV), battery technology, and mobility services.
In the EV space, Volkswagen has partnered with Rivian, investing $5.8 billion, signaling a shift in their approach to electric vehicles. The Group is also expanding its partnership with QuantumScape, a solid-state battery developer, moving towards mass production and technology licensing.
One of the key initiatives is ADMT, a company behind Moia and the ID. Buzz AD. Though no direct mention of ADMT was found, the Group is heavily investing in advanced technologies and EV strategies. Volkswagen is seeking a strategic partner or financial investor for ADMT, with its business model, which includes vehicle supply, fleet management, sensors, and software for autonomous taxis, considered attractive to investors.
Volkswagen Group's focus on digital business and mobility services growth is also reflected in Everllence, a subsidiary specializing in software and digital services. However, Everllence is now part of the potential partial sales, despite the efforts of Gunnar Kilian, who had worked for four years on the turnaround of Everllence and insisted on keeping the engine manufacturer within the group.
The Group is also considering partial sales of car brands, such as Audi and Cupra, to fund strategic investments in autonomous driving, battery technology, and vehicle development (both electric and combustion engine).
Volkswagen's personnel director, Gunnar Kilian, left the company in July, and his departure is reportedly linked to the planned partial sales. The official group statement on Kilian's departure cited "different views on the management of participations" as the reason for the separation.
The Group's dedicated team, consisting of former investment bankers and consultants, is handling the process of reviewing and potentially selling stakes in the group's brands. The sale of a minority stake in ADMT is part of a major capital increase at VW.
However, Volkswagen is not considering capital increases with external investors or strategic partners for the car brands or the battery business, including PowerCo in Salzgitter, at least for now. There have been rumors that VW could bring in third parties to share the high investments for PowerCo, but this is not the case at present.
The VW Group Mobility division achieved strong financial growth, with operating results up 31.9% in H1 2025 and a robust deposit base increase, indicating possible financial capacity to support subsidiaries and partnerships. The overall corporate outlook expects stable sales revenue for 2025 with operating return on sales projected between 4.0% and 5.0% for the Group, providing a solid base for ongoing investment and strategic investment including financial services revenue growth of up to 5%.
In summary, Volkswagen Group is intensifying strategic partnerships and showing strong financial performance enabling growth investments, but direct, detailed capital increase plans for the mentioned subsidiaries were not disclosed in the available results.
Volkswagen Group has partnered with Rivian and QuantumScape, demonstrating a commitment towards electric vehicles (EV) and battery technology. The Group is also exploring strategic partnerships or financial investments for ADMT, a company developing technologies for autonomous taxis, as part of its EV strategy.
