The German carmaker is mulling deep job cuts amid the 'biggest upheaval' in its history
Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume warned Sunday that the carmaker was in a “more than critical” state as he prepared to meet employees and defend sweeping cost-cutting plans amid mounting pressure on Germany’s auto industry.
In an interview posted on the company’s intranet and sent to AFP, Oliver Blume said Volkswagen and the rest of Germany’s car industry are facing “the biggest upheaval in their history” from global headwinds and Chinese competition.
The carmaker is weighing up huge job cuts and in coming days Blume will meet with employees at Volkswagen’s HQ in Wolfsburg and sites in Zwickau and Emden to give updates on the company’s plans.
Blume said in the interview that no decision had been taken on plant closures but reiterated the company’s position that for plants in “Emden, Hannover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm we cannot currently see any way of them remaining profitable in the 2030s”.
