Overview
- The final vehicle, a red ID.3 GTX signed by workers, rolled off the line Tuesday and will remain at the facility, Volkswagen Saxony said.
- Volkswagen and the works council agreed that the plant’s roughly 230 employees will be offered severance, retirement packages or transfers to other locations.
- The company says the repurposed site will host research activity in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and robotics, with plans for a university presence.
- Executives cited weak demand in Europe and China, higher U.S. tariffs and chip-supply geopolitical uncertainty as pressures behind the decision.
- The Dresden factory produced about 6,000 cars a year and has been described by Volkswagen as more a distribution and visitor experience site than a full-scale plant, while union officials now question how employment guarantees will be implemented.