Rumor mill.......

[Timco]

Volkswagen to purchase Red Bull Racing and get into F1.

Just heard this on the Singapore F1 race end discussion.

[JayG]

Don't know one way or another, but they may have some major cash problems with as they just got a $18B fine.

[Dualist]

I heard the same thing, Eddie Irvine mentioned it. Also said it would be Audi getting involved and they will let Stefano Domenicali run it.
But it's also said that they will have Ferrari engines for two years. See what happens.

Edit.
Linkage...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/34297046

[mack73]

Originally Posted by JayG

Don't know one way or another, but they may have some major cash problems with as they just got a $18B fine.

They haven't actually received a fine of 18B. People are simply doing the math of a typical fine per car times the number of recalled cars.... and that's never how the fines that affect this many cars are calculated.

[thstone]

Audi has always been known as a technically driven brand, so I can see the F1 angle; plus Audi has already done what it needs to do in endurance sports car racing and that effort is really better left to Porsche to continue to build its racing heritage and it makes no corporate sense to have Audi battle Porsche in the same racing series.

But at the same time its hard to believe that (m)any outsiders/new companies would want to be part of the F1 silly circus until they stabilize the series and re-focus on the racing (IMHO).

[mikefocke]

Recent events may suggest this would not be an auspicious time for VW to be seen as buying something.

Why get the legal system and the regulators even more mad at them than they already are.

(VW/Audi emissions fraud admissions with $18B potential liability in penalties which does not include criminal plus civil class action and individual lawsuit legal expenses plus awards)

[RandallNeighbour]

Mike, you make an excellent point.

The fact that VW committed widespread fraud with their emissions testing does not bode well for the company.

[Perfectlap]

I think RedBull will be buying VW after their stock goes in the toilet (-25%) from all the criminal activity.

EDIT:

VW "only" makes 2.9% margin on each car. Meanwhile they make six times that on each Porsche (~$24k per car).
I think we might be seeing a Boxster GT4 after all now because VW is going to be throwing in everything and the kitchen sink to offset what will surely be the biggest fine ever and to get their stock price back.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/14/vw-earns-23k-per-porsche-sold/