Einigung über Sparpaket: Volkswagen stellt Weichen für historischen Konzernumbau

Volkswagen has reached an agreement on a major restructuring plan, signaling a significant shift in the automotive giant's future. The company, Europe's largest automaker, plans to cut 50,000 more jobs in the coming years, consolidate its model lineup, and reduce the number of affiliated companies. Four plants remain at risk of closure.

On Thursday evening, the supervisory board unanimously approved the majority of the restructuring concept proposed by the management, led by CEO Oliver Blume. This decision comes after weeks of intense negotiations, ending a potential escalation between the board, the state of Lower Saxony, as the main shareholder, and the workers.

The plan, titled "Zukunftsplan 2030," marks a strategic turning point for Volkswagen, aiming to strengthen the company's competitiveness and long-term success. Blume emphasized that the plan "creates the prerequisites for making the Volkswagen Group and its brands more efficient, more competitive, and more future-oriented."

Hans Dieter Pötsch, the chairman of the supervisory board, affirmed that the board is convinced that "with its implementation, the long-term future and competitiveness of the Volkswagen Group are secured." Olaf Lies, the prime minister of Lower Saxony, highlighted the immense challenges facing Volkswagen and the German automotive industry, stressing the importance of moving forward together towards the necessary transformation.

The IG Metall union representative and First President of IG Metall, Christiane Benner, stressed that "with the now adopted future plan, we are united with the management and shareholders in facing the immense challenges." Daniela Cavallo, the Volkswagen Works Council chief, called the future plan "a necessity to lead our company successfully into the next decade without these projects being one-sidedly at the expense of employees."

The "Zukunftsplan 2030" is described by VW as the "strategically deepest transformation program in the history of the Volkswagen Group." The plan aims to develop a "sustainable and competitive production structure" for European plants by the end of June 2027, addressing the current overcapacity of 500,000 vehicles in Europe. The board acknowledged the need to address a production overcapacity, which could not be guaranteed in the near future for the plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hannover, and Neckarsulm. Alternative uses for these plants were being explored.

Beyond the existing programs, Volkswagen also needs a fundamental adjustment of its global workforce, the company stated. A consistent reduction in the workforce by around 50,000 positions is planned, along with a reduction in the model portfolio by approximately 50 percent and a reduction in the complexity of offerings by around 75 percent. The focus will be on the most attractive vehicles, and "leaner management structures" and "shorter decision-making paths" will be pursued.

The portfolio of affiliations and businesses will be "consistently reduced to its strategic and economic contribution to the core business," resulting in a reduction of around one-third. The IG Metall union and the company council emphasized that an outsourcing of the core Volkswagen car brand and the Volkswagen component is out of the question.

Neither a plant closure nor a plant shutdown has been sealed, according to Benner and Cavallo. However, they reiterated a central criticism: "The confrontational course and the communication of the management in recent weeks was not productive." Auto expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer described the future plan as a "light version" and stated that while the compromise is better than the public debates over the past 24 months, it does not represent "peace."