{
  "id": 5408524,
  "title": "Überraschende Einigung bei VW: Aufsichtsrat stimmt Plan des Vorstands einstimmig zu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/uberraschende-einigung-bei-vw-aufsichtsrat-stimmt-plan-des-vorstands",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T20:24:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NZZ Wirtschaft",
    "slug": "nzz-wirtschaft",
    "url": "https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/ueberraschende-einigung-bei-vw-aufsichtsrat-stimmt-plan-des-vorstands-einstimmig-zu-ld.10022363"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "A surprising agreement has been reached at Volkswagen, with the supervisory board unanimously endorsing the management plan. By 2030, Europe's largest automaker will lay off an additional 50,000 jobs. However, a particularly critical point still lacks a definitive conclusion. The standoff appeared inevitable, as the parties' positions had diverged significantly and they had become deeply embroiled in public disputes. At 20:44 on Thursday evening, the Wolfsburg group sent out a communication, which the NZZ.ch reported carries a \"strong signal for the Volkswagen Group.\" Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume revealed that \"the supervisory board has unanimously agreed on the company's future plan.\" The manager sees this as a triumph, which few observers had anticipated. Notably, the timing of the agreement is surprising, as the actual meeting of the board was scheduled for Friday. In recent days, negotiations had already taken place, involving representatives of the Porsche and Piech family, the state of Lower Saxony with a 20% stake in the company, and employees seeking a compromise. The meeting of the supervisory board's presidency opened the way to a solution, it was said in the surrounding context. The goal of the agreement is now \"competitive costs, significantly more efficient structures, and a subsequent sustainable improvement in profitability.\" The target is an operational turnover ratio of 9% in 2030, currently at just under 4%. The challenge is therefore immense: The future plan is described as \"the strategically far-reaching transformation program in the history of the Volkswagen Group,\" the communication states. The company expects to sell only 9 million cars globally per year by 2030, down from over 11 million in recent years. The excess capacity in Europe alone is estimated at 500,000 vehicles per year. To address this, the management suggests closing plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hannover, and Neckarsulm, which the communication calls \"possible.\" These plans have been harshly criticized by politicians and trade unions in recent days. The supervisory board acknowledged that a competitive roadmap cannot be guaranteed from 2031 to 2034. For this reason, alternative use possibilities are now being examined in parallel and complementary. The supervisory board, however, has dismissed another job reduction. \"Given the increasing global competitive pressure, changing demand structures, and technological change in the automotive industry, it is essential to consistently adjust personnel capacity to economic reality,\" the communication states. Specifically, a total of 50,000 additional positions are to be cut by 2030, with about half of them in Germany. As part of a layoff program decided at the end of 2024, a similar number of positions would already be cut. To prepare for the future, the company plans to invest 135 billion euros between 2027 and 2031 in fixed assets and research and development. At the same time, it wants to reduce the number of models by around 50% by 2035 and even cut their options by around 75%. It also aims to sell stakes and simplify decision-making processes. The Lower Saxony Prime Minister, Olaf Lies (SPD), spoke of \"a common path for the necessary transformation.\" The company is heavily investing in future viability, developing long-term perspectives for locations. Operations council chair Daniela Cavallo called the plan \"necessary to lead our company successfully into the next decade without the associated projects going one-sidedly at the expense of employees.\" It sounds almost as if everyone had always agreed. In 2016, the German automaker was the world's number one, but now the management could lay off up to 100,000 jobs and close plants. How did this happen? Oliver Blume was supposed to lead the divided company into a stable future. Now the situation is as tense as ever.",
  "summary": "Über Tage sah es nach Eskalation aus, jetzt ist sie in letzter Minute abgewendet. Bis 2030 wird Europas grösster Autobauer 50 000 weitere Stellen abbauen. Bei einem anderen besonders kritischen Punkt gibt es noch kein endgültiges Ergebnis.",
  "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."
}