German Auto Industry Warns 3 Million Jobs at Risk as VW Weighs 100,000 Cuts
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 10
German Auto Industry Warns 3 Million Jobs at Risk as VW Weighs 100,000 Cuts
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 10
Summary
Volkswagen is set to present plans for up to 100,000 job cuts by 2030 to its supervisory board in Wolfsburg, triggering IG Metall-backed protests across major German sites.
The VDA said Europe’s car sector faces an employment collapse unless workers and policymakers accept plant closures, ownership changes and other “bold decisions” to confront Chinese competition and weak demand.
Boston Consulting estimated Europe now has more than 5 million vehicles a year of excess capacity—the equivalent of 35 production sites—showing the problem runs beyond Chinese overcapacity to falling car purchases.
Hildegard Müller said some German plants may need to be opened to foreign manufacturers to preserve jobs, underscoring how deeply the crisis is reshaping Europe’s industrial base.