According to the works council, Volkswagen is temporarily reducing the production of electric cars at its Emden plant due to weakening sales.
In the next two weeks until the factory holidays, the late shift in the production of the compact SUV ID.4 and the first models of the new electric sedan ID.7 will be canceled, said works council chief Manfred Wulff on request and confirmed a report by “Nordwest -Newspaper”. A VW spokeswoman in Emden told the newspaper: “We are confident that the utilization of the plant will increase again with the market launch of the ID.7 at the end of the year.”
According to the works council, the workforce was informed on Monday. While the production of combustion models, such as the Passat, continues unchanged, the three-week factory holidays for employees in the E segment are also to be extended by one week. In addition, around 300 of the current 1,500 temporary workers in Emden will no longer be employed from August.
According to the works council, the reason for the production restrictions is weakening sales of electric vehicles. “We notice the reluctance of customers in the electrical world very vehemently,” said Wulff. The uncertainty among customers is great. Demand is almost 30 percent below the originally planned production figures. Wulff said there was disillusionment among the Emden VW workforce at the news of the reduced shifts.
According to the works council, the start of a third production shift for the e-models was originally planned for autumn at the Emden VW site. According to VW, the official ceremony marking the start of production of the ID.7 in Emden will be postponed. The production of the model has therefore already started on schedule. According to the works council, a few models are currently being produced in advance.
Economics Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) rated the decision as “understandable”; but also sees a warning sign for the industry. “The registration numbers for e-cars are still high, but what we are concerned about is the current dip in demand – not just at Volkswagen, but at all manufacturers,” said Lies. The greatly reduced funding is an enormous challenge. Lies spoke out in favor of discussing new purchase incentives – such as reduced VAT.
Court announces verdict against ex-Audi boss Stadler
The first criminal case about improved emissions from Audi diesel engines lasted more than two and a half years – on Tuesday (09.15) the Munich Regional Court announced its verdict against the former CEO Rupert Stadler and the two co-accused. All three confessed to the scam. The Economic Criminal Court has given them the prospect of suspended sentences of between one and a half and two years, combined with the payment of high suspended conditions.
Stadler must therefore expect a monetary requirement of 1.1 million euros. The former head of Audi engine development and later Porsche board member Wolfgang Hatz would have to pay 400,000 euros, the former senior engineer P. 50,000 euros.
In the case of Stadler and P., the public prosecutor’s office has already agreed to the court’s proposal as part of an agreement. In the case of Hatz, on the other hand, she continued to plead for a prison sentence of three years and two months without parole.
Stadler has admitted that after the scandal was uncovered in the USA in 2015, it stopped selling cars with manipulated emissions values in Europe far too late. In view of the indications of trickery in the European models, too, he should have provided clarification and intervened.
The allegations against the two co-defendants weigh more heavily. They have confessed to having arranged for large diesel engines for Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche cars to be tampered with. They passed emissions tests, but emitted more nitrogen oxide on the road than permitted.
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EMDEN / MUNICH (dpa-AFX)
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