A German publication has released what it says is a roster of Volkswagen Group vehicles potentially facing elimination in aggressive steps designed to boost the German automaker profitability through a simpler model range.

Newspaper Bild indicated that removing roughly half of the firm's approximately 150 models might generate savings up to 6.5 billion euros (A$10.7 billion) by 2031.

The Volkswagen Group ranks among the largest global automakers and encompasses Skoda, Audi, Porsche, Cupra, Seat (unavailable locally), plus Bentley, Lamborghini and the core Volkswagen marque. The company has not verified any of the vehicles named in the proposal to shrink its offerings.

Although it overtook Tesla for electric vehicle sales in Europe last year, the firm has faced profitability challenges and declining demand, closing several European plants and declaring workforce reductions.

This encompasses shutting a German facility, the first such event in company history, together with locations such as its Brussels plant in Belgium. It has further outlined intentions to lower yearly output capacity from 10 million to nine million vehicles.

Even with these savings initiatives, the organization under Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume keeps seeking avenues to enhance profitability, reportedly raising planned job reductions from 50,000 to 100,000 by 2030.

This has featured a suggestion to halve its roughly 150-model portfolio and trim variant complexity by 75 per cent, a scheme reportedly dismissed by the Volkswagen supervisory board.

The vehicles reportedly at risk, per Bild via Carscoops, encompass the Volkswagen Jetta, absent from Australia since 2017, and the Taos small SUV, unavailable locally yet sharing a platform with the Skoda Karoq.

According to Bild, the Porsche marque, which Mr Blume headed as CEO for ten years until late 2025, might eliminate up to four models from its selection.

The next-generation petrol 718 Boxster and Cayman pair could reportedly face removal once more, after earlier reprieves when slowing EV interest led to shelving electric-only successors.

Instead, Porsche might supply updated petrol Boxster and Cayman variants on current platforms alongside EV editions now slated for 2027.

This mirrors Volkswagen strategy with the existing petrol Golf, which will stay available until as late as 2035, while EV versions on newer architecture sell alongside.

Global sales of the electric Porsche Taycan, positioned under the petrol and hybrid Panamera, dropped 22 per cent in 2025; it also appears on the reported list of potential departures, along with the Cayenne Coupe, which would leave the Cayenne available solely as an SUV.

Likewise, Audi will reportedly drop secondary body styles from its SUV range, with the Q5 Sportback and Q6 e-tron Sportback proposed for removal.

The German luxury marque has already ceased the A1 light car and the Q2 crossover.

Bild indicates the Volkswagen Polo-based Skoda Fabia, comparable in scale to the Audi A1, could also face elimination despite outselling the Superb large sedan and wagon.

The Fabia further exceeds sales of the Scala small hatch, which will exit Australian showrooms after the present model year. The Scala's worldwide prospects remain uncertain, as do those of the Kamiq small SUV.

At Spanish brand Cupra, the recently launched Raval EV might prove a single-generation model. The ongoing position of the Seat marque, which originally created Cupra as its performance division but has not been offered locally since the 1990s, is also reportedly in question.

The reported dismissal of Mr Blume's rationalisation proposal by Volkswagen's 19-member supervisory board casts uncertainty over the company's future model direction and signals a public test of the Volkswagen Group CEO's standing.