VW to quit WRC at end of 2016posted in WRC01 | 11 | 2016
VOLKSWAGEN WILL TOMORROW confirm it is quitting the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2016 season. The decision is understood to have been made this morning at a meeting held in Wolfsburg.
The news, which comes a week after Audi announced it was quitting the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24-Hours, is another result of the Dieselgate emissions scandal which has cost the VW Group around £10 billion.
VW Group management made it clear earlier this year there would need to be major savings made across the group as the cost of the embarrassing emissions scandal hit home.
The brutal reality is the company could not be seen to spend multi-millions of pounds on WRC and WEC at the same time as the US courts are agreeing billions of pounds in settlement fees.
So just 48 hours after four-time world champ Sebastien Ogier won the Wales Rally GB, the 42nd WRC victory of his career, the Frenchman knows he will be out of a job after the season finale in Australia.
And it’ not just Ogier who is now looking for a seat next year; so too are VW team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen.
It also means the all-new 2017 VW Polo R WRC, which has already been developed for next season’s championship, will never rally in anger. It’s unlikely the VW Group will allow the car to be sold to private teams.
Related: Roadtest — VW Passat Estate SE Business 2.0TDI
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/Scotcars
Jim McGill