{
  "id": 1521487,
  "title": "Autobauer: Kooperation mit Ford wird für Volkswagen zum Bulli-Bumerang",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/autobauer-kooperation-mit-ford-wird-fur-volkswagen-zum-bulli-bumerang",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-17T16:56:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/vw-transporter-kooperation-mit-ford-wird-fuer-autobauer-zum-bumerang/100244960.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume will visit his company's factories starting next week to explain the future of German locations. One particularly tricky case is Hannover, where a decision made by his predecessor Herbert Diess has turned into a bumerang. Diess had signed a deal with Ford for cooperation in building light commercial vehicles, which is now causing problems at the Hannover plant. In an internal presentation, the Hannover light commercial vehicle plant is described as particularly expensive alongside Emden, Zwickau and Audi's Neckarsulm site. Sources claim factory costs can sometimes reach into the five-digit euro range per vehicle, with the new benchmark for Europe aiming for 3000 euros. Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge, VW's subsidiary for light commercial vehicles, does not comment on the issue. The problem at Hannover stems from the plant's lack of volume. In 2017, more than 200,000 light commercial vehicles rolled off the line, compared to around 113,500 in 2025. Blume is keen to emphasize that the current crisis is not a \"Volkswagen crisis, it is an industrial crisis.\" Indeed, the major European automaker is facing similar challenges across the board in areas like China, US tariffs, weak demand for electric cars, and geopolitical tensions. However, not all of the misery in Hannover can be attributed to external circumstances. A significant portion is internally generated. The story begins in New York in 2019, where Diess was sitting in a plain conference room in a mid-range hotel in Manhattan next to Ford CEO Jim Hackett. The two powerful automakers decided on several far-reaching cooperations, including a deal that still defines the light commercial vehicle business at the Hannover plant. Diess and Hackett agreed that their two automakers would share the development of light commercial vehicles, with Volkswagen taking responsibility for the Caddy and corresponding Ford sister models, while Ford developed the successor to the VW Transporter T6.1 based on the Transit Custom. The deal had a clear advantage for the Volkswagen Group, as it allowed for shared development costs and consolidation of volumes. However, the main volume generator for the plant disappeared, as the current generation of the VW Transporter, or T7, is no longer built in Hannover but at Ford's plant in Turkey. Technically, the current Bulli is closely related to the Transit Custom and its sister model Tourneo Custom, with platforms, engines, and essential drivetrain components coming from Ford. Without the classic Transporter, Hannover now mainly produces the electric ID.Buzz and higher-priced Bulli variants Multivan and California, which are also based on VW technology. Diess believed this was manageable at the time, as Hannover was supposed to be strongly shifted towards electrification. The future electric model \"Landjet,\" developed by Audi under the working title, was also planned for Hannover, with a luxury variant for other Group brands intended. However, the project was repeatedly postponed and eventually abandoned, with software issues, delays in the new vehicle architecture, and changed group models making the original plan obsolete. When discussing the \"Landjet\" today, concerned managers smile and wave dismissively. The ID.Buzz, too, still does not meet the volumes that VW once expected. Particularly in the US, orders are falling short of expectations. While more than 60,000 E-Kleinbus models were produced in Hannover in 2025, according to company sources, that is significantly lower than the numbers estimated during the plant planning. Even in 2022, over 100,000 ID.Buzz were supposed to be mentioned, it is said. Thus, Hannover is trapped in the \"fix-costs trap\": The plant is designed for significantly higher volumes but produces much less. \"We lack a product,\" says a top decision-maker on the plant's situation. The critical view on the cooperation with Ford is also expressed. \"I think it's unfortunate what happened there,\" says a high-ranking decision-maker. The current Transporter is now \"just a Ford model and not a VW.\" Ford benefits the most from this. Volkswagen sold more than 200,000 Transporters in its family in 2023, while Ford sold around 120,000. The almost identical Ford thus sold about 65 percent more units. In the first half of 2026, the picture for Volkswagen has improved slightly, with Ford still leading with nearly 98,000 vehicles.",
  "summary": "Mit Ford wollte VW Milliarden sparen und Hannover zugleich in die elektrische Zukunft führen. Doch die Rechnung ging nicht auf. Nun kämpft das traditionsreiche Bulli-Werk um seine Zukunft.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}