One Of Italy’s Most Famous Design Houses May Be Audi’s Next Big Sacrifice

Audi had a dismal 2024 and recently announced plans to eliminate 7,500 jobs in Germany by 2029. At the time those cuts were announced, CEO Gernot Dollner called on the automaker to “become faster, more agile, and more efficient.”

Those cuts appear to be growing as a new report suggests the company could put Italdesign up for sale. The styling firm dates back to 1968 and they soon collaborated with Volkswagen on the first-generation Golf and Passat.

More: Italdesign’s Quintessenza Is A Bonkers Pickup Coupe With More Horsepower Than An F1 Grid

The company’s reputation and portfolio continued to grow and Volkswagen eventually acquired a 90.1% stake in the design house. Audi was put in charge and the remaining 9.9% stake was handed over in 2015.

While that’s just a brief stroll down memory lane, Autonews is reporting union representatives told a local newspaper that pre-sale preparations are underway. This reportedly includes due diligence and calculating a value for Italdesign. An official announcement could come as early as next week as an all-hands meeting is reportedly scheduled for May 12.

There’s no word on potential suitors, but Auto News says Italdesign employs approximately 1,000 people who are spread across China, Europe, and the United States. Hopefully they’ll all be retained, but only time will tell what happens.

That being said, there could be a lot of interest given Italdesign’s prestige as well as styling and engineering expertise. From the original Audi 80 and Alfa Romeo Brera to the BMW M1 and DeLorean DMC-12, the company’s design fingerprints are everywhere. More recently, it collaborated with Nissan on the limited production GT-R 50, and even rolled out the niche but memorable Quintessenza, a performance pickup coupe with 2,145 hp.