Overview
- The supervisory board reportedly voted down CEO Oliver Blume’s ‘Zukunftsplan’ in a meeting on Thursday, leaving the proposed package without board approval and forcing further internal debate.
- Leaked details show management wants to halve the non‑China model range, cut customer options by as much as 75 percent and reduce capacity to about nine million cars by 2030, measures that media link to roughly 100,000 (some reports up to 120,000) jobs at risk.
- Four German sites — Zwickau, Emden, Hannover and Neckarsulm — have repeatedly been named in reporting as potentially affected, prompting protests and sharp criticism from regional politicians and unions.
- Volkswagen’s works council says trust in Blume has ‘all but collapsed’ and has scheduled company assemblies after the summer for the CEO to brief staff, while Blume has said he seeks ‘intelligent’ alternatives to plant closures and pointed to cost cuts and strong early EV sales.
- Suppliers warn of serious local economic fallout if volumes fall, the company plans further management cuts and the parties will continue negotiations after the summer break to try to find a path that avoids large, immediate factory closures.