Overview
- Reports published Tuesday say an internal VW paper shows the executive board unanimously set end‑of‑production dates: Emden and Zwickau in 2031, Hannover in 2032 and Neckarsulm in 2034.
- The document, titled "Bericht zum Konzeptbeschluss Aufsichtsrat 3./4. September 2026," frames current business models as unable to secure long‑term competitiveness and outlines a broad transformation concept.
- Insiders cited by multiple outlets say management believes it can legally implement a plant "run‑out" (Leerlaufen von Werken) without a separate supervisory‑board approval because the company statute treats only new construction or relocation as approval‑bound.
- Works councils and IG Metall have pledged strong resistance and regional politicians have offered to mediate, while a supervisory‑board meeting on 3–4 September is scheduled to consider parts of the plan.
- The proposals form part of a larger cost push that includes roughly 50,000 further job cuts and a target to cut European capacity by about 500,000 vehicles a year, posing major economic risk for tens of thousands of workers and local suppliers.