Volkswagen is cancelling a no-layoffs pledge and won't rule out closing plants in Germany
Volkswagen says it's not getting the cost reductions that it needs — and won't rule out plant closings in its home country Germany
FRANKFURT, Germany — Germany's Volkswagen says auto industry headwinds mean it can't rule out plant closings in its home country — and is dropping a longstanding job protection pledge in force since 1994 that would have barred layoffs through 2029.
“The European automotive industry is in a very demanding and serious situation," Oliver Blume, Volkswagen Group CEO, said in a statement Monday.
He cited new competitors entering the European markets, Germany's deteriorating position as a manufacturing location and the need to “act decisively.”
Thomas Schaefer, the CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars division, said efforts to reduce costs were “yielding results” but that the “headwinds have become significantly stronger.”
European automakers are facing increased competition from inexpensive Chinese electric cars. The company's half-year results indicate it will not achieve its target for 10 billion euros in costs savings by 2026, the company said.
The discussion around closures and layoffs is for the company's core Volkswagen brand. The core brand saw operating earnings sag to 966 million euros ($1.1 billion) from 1.64 billion euros in the year-earlier period.
The group also includes luxury makes Audi and Porsche, which have higher profit margins than the mass-market vehicles made by Volkswagen, as well as SEAT and Skoda.
The company has sought to cut costs through early retirements and buyouts that avoid forced layoffs, but is now saying those measures may not be enough. Volkswagen has some 120,000 workers in Germany.
A plant closing would be the first since its U.S. plant in Westmoreland,
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