We’ve been following the scandal involving German carmaker Volkswagen since it came to a head months ago. And with the amount of fines that the company is being forced to pay its been no secret that there would need to be a number of comprehensive changes made to the company in order to come up with the money. Now news has begun trickling in about some of the different steps the carmaker is going to take.

In a recent Goauto.com.au article it was revealed that the carmaker will begin reducing the variant lines and trim options that they offer with their vehicles. While this may not sound like a lot they have estimated that this will save them nearly $1.9 billion.

This is a move they had been planning on making for a while now as a cost cutting effort but just to a lesser degree and on a different time table. There’s also a bonus to this cost cutting measure in that it will save them a good chunk of money without anyone losing their jobs because of it.

Volkswagen has already set aside $11 billion to pay for the repairs they have to make on the 11 million vehicles which had been gamed to beat emission testing. But add to that what will surely be mounting legal costs from class action lawsuits and fines and it becomes very difficult to estimate just how high the tally will be for Volkswagen. But one thing is for certain, their brand has taken a significant hit which will make it more difficult to raise funds to pay for these fees. An additional way they’re pinching their pennies is by taking a good chunk out of their research and development budget.

All the money they’ve set aside is a good start but they still have a long road to travel and one of its chief goals has to be regaining the trust of its customers. For more about Volkswagen’s efforts to gather money for this crisis you can read the full article over at GoAuto.com.au. And check out Volkswagen’s Rapid and Unforeseen Fall From Grace for our recap of the scandal.

bumpy