1. Why is Volkswagen holding crunch talks with workers?
Volkswagen's management is holding extraordinary meetings with workers this week amid an unprecedented cost-cutting drive, including reports of up to 100,000 job losses and the possible closure of several German car factories.
Germany's auto industry faces a deep structural crisis due to intense pressure from Chinese rivals, the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), higher production costs and other challenges.
As Europe's biggest carmaker by volume, VW has the heaviest exposure to overcapacity in its German plants, high fixed costs and its reliance on China.
Workers have been particularly concerned by how the restructuring was communicated so far, which representatives have described as "disastrous."
