Overview
- Volkswagen’s CEO presented the ‘Plan de Futuro’ to the supervisory board that proposes cutting the model range by up to 50%, slashing optional-equipment complexity by up to 75%, trimming capacity toward about 9 million vehicles and reducing investment by roughly €44–50 billion.
- The package was presented to the board on Thursday but was not approved; management has not confirmed specific plant or country decisions and the proposal is now in negotiations with works councils, unions and regional governments.
- Union leaders including IG Metall have mobilized protests and rejected the proposal, saying it breaks the company’s prior employment guarantees; press reports and internal estimates put potential job losses at about 100,000 across the group.
- Reports name two to four German factories as candidates for closure — Zwickau, Emden, Hannover and Neckarsulm have been mentioned — while Spain’s Seat and Cupra say there are no confirmed measures affecting Martorell or Landaben at this time.
- Volkswagen says the move responds to slow EV demand, fierce Chinese competition and excess complexity from prior investments; the plan would reshape where models and platforms are made and could trim the group’s long-term EV and software investment plans.