Für Abbau und Schließungen: Bericht: Sparpläne könnten Volkswagen Milliarden kosten

Based on a recent report, Volkswagen is anticipating costs of up to 16 billion euros for dismantling ten thousand jobs and potential plant closures in Germany. Volkswagen estimates 10 billion euros will be required solely for job cuts by 2030, according to a supervisory board decision from last week and internal documents cited by Der Spiegel.

These costs cover severance pay, early retirements, and social plans. For a possible end to car production in Emden and Zwickau by 2031, management projects around two billion euros in total. The management cited by the report estimates about two billion euros for the truck plant in Hannover and Audi's Neckarsulm site, which are both slated for closure by 2032.

By early 2037, the savings from reduced salaries are expected to offset these costs, though the feasibility of the calculations remains unclear. Workers' representatives estimate the costs to be significantly higher, using the closure of Audi's Brussels plant as a comparison. With over 3,000 employees, the Brussels plant cost the Ingolstadt factory around 1.6 billion euros.

However, the four plants now under threat employ many more people. Volkswagen is undergoing its most profound transformation in history, aiming to become more robust and competitive. The supervisory board unanimously approved a "future plan" from the management last week to achieve this goal, marking the deepest transformation program in VW's history.

The financial objective of the plan is to achieve a significantly higher return on investment by 2030, with nine euros of operational profit per 100 euros in sales, compared to 3.80 euros from the half-year. To achieve this, the company must become much more efficient and substantially cut costs. The management plans to cut 50,000 jobs over the next few years, in addition to previous plans, with half of those potentially in Germany.

Concrete dismantling programs still need to be negotiated with the employees' representatives, but the future of the plants at Emden, Zwickau, Hannover, and Neckarsulm's Audi site remains uncertain. The supervisory board noted that no closures have been decided, but a concept for a competitive European production structure will be presented by mid-2027 for the four threatened sites, with alternative uses being explored in parallel.