VW considers German factory closures for first time in 87-year history

[STDOUBT]

VW considers German factory closures for first time in 87-year history

Jobs with VW in Germany are meant to be protected until 2029, but the firm could now renege on that promise.

www.euronews.com

 

[oilhammer]

Welcome to earlier this week:

'A very serious situation’: Volkswagen could close plants in Germany for the first time in history | TDIClub Forums

 

[GTiTDi]

Germany is done stick a fork in her

 

[pro51492]

Very sad. There isn’t a vehicle I’d rather own than my TDI’s. This electrification BS is killing the auto industry, not to mention people buying cheap Chinese goods.

“European automakers are facing increased competition from inexpensive Chinese electric cars.”

 

[atc98002]

Electrification itself isn't the problem. The auto industry can handle it fine if they make the effort. VW has numerous PHEVs available in Europe but for some reason won't bring them to the US. I love driving a PHEV, and I enjoyed my EV when I had it. Since the wife still has range anxiety, no more pure EV for me at this time. But as much as I enjoyed my TDIs, driving a electrified vehicle is even better.

 

[oilhammer]

If you read into some of the articles, you'll see that VAG's EVs generally suck. They are horridly expensive, have horrible software problems, service and parts problems, and are not being embraced like they thought they would.

And when they just announced the SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLAR starting price for the ID Buzz, the collective laugh has pretty much caused that to be crossed off a bunch of markets' portfolios. The eGolfs sat and gathered dust here towards the end, and the ID.4 hasn't had nearly the take rate here they anticipated (not even close).

 

[Sting]

Do they still sell ANY diesels, or did that ship sail with Dieselgate?

 

[oilhammer]

Everywhere in Europe you can still buy a new Volkswagen diesel.

Not sure about other markets, because I'm not sure how popular they ever were there. But Europe still has plenty to choose from.

 

[atc98002]

If you read into some of the articles, you'll see that VAG's EVs generally suck.

In the US of course we only received the ID.4. While it originally came up short in some ways, in others it was a perfectly acceptable EV. As usual for VW, pricing is probably the single biggest issue they have, then and now. The software issues have all pretty much been resolved. I haven't heard anything specific about service or parts, but then I don't hang out on any ID.4 forums. The 2024 ID.4 introduced new motors which provided better range and efficiency. And yes, the ID.Buzz is way overpriced, regardless of how well it's equipped.

Before I got my first Niro PHEV in '19, I was seriously looking at the eGolf. But with only 120 miles of range, it simply wouldn't work for me. If my wife didn't still have range anxiety from our charge-restricted Bolt, I might have gotten the latest ID.4. But she does, so that's why I'm back in a PHEV.

 

[GlowBugTDI]

I've lately been curious how reliable the new Toyota work trucks are going to be and hoping/praying that we can someday get them here!
Because currently nothing else looks interesting to me far as new vehicles go with the exception of the hellcat challenger and that's hardly a daily for my lifestyle.

Nothing new from VW is anything I would want to work on. I someday would like to try a 2013-2015 2.5 wagon, but other then that, Eh. I don't even think I'd like working on that car all that much.

 

[oilhammer]

We won't get any Toyota "work trucks" here. Heck, we cannot even get Toyota engines in the Hino trucks anymore... they just stick US-spec Cummins engines bolted to Allison slushboxes in them now.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

The only new VWs that remotely interest me are the GTI and Golf R, and VW's killing my desire for one by electronically locking down simple stuff like the parking brake so only VW dealers with access to the mainframe in the homeland can change brake pads. The A4 was a high water mark in VWs, the MQB Golf7 will probably be another, but with Golf8 it's all downhill from here. It gets worse- The new Scout drops soon and probably won't sell 10K a year.

 

[jmodge]

The only new anything that would interest me is something that doesn’t require me working on it, or anyone else for that matter. I’m not sure there is any such animal

 

[pro51492]

The days of an enjoyable enthusiast vehicle seems to have sailed because just like many of you nothing new interests me that’s reasonable. It’s quite sad actually what will another 10-15 years bring. I have 5 TDI’s 2 pre emission diesel vans and a pre emission truck that I plan to keep going for the long term. Electric vehicles are not an option here in rural America not to mention commuting across multiple states for my career.

 

[Shenandoah]

I'm back in Berlin for a month. The forum members would go absolutely crazy over here: so many NICE mk4 diesel VWs......

I've seen a couple of the electric VW vanagons, some ID4s. There are also a couple models that never made it across the ocean: Polo and some other smaller VWs. Really neat to see.

Eric

 

[privateTDIjet]

Do your oil changes on time! Next thing you know they'll get bought out by ford and ran into the ground

 

[r3gill]

The US epa can work with vw Germany to allow selling TDI's in US/Canada again. Keep the msrp reasonable and the factory will be going full tilt.

 

[irishjetta]

Everywhere in Europe you can still buy a new Volkswagen diesel.

Not sure about other markets, because I'm not sure how popular they ever were there. But Europe still has plenty to choose from.

I can attest to that. The Golf TDI is still one of the most popular cars in Ireland.

 

[pro51492]

Unfortunately our government will never allow the sale of high MPG diesels again. The agenda is Electric and that’s all they care about.

 

[JoeTDI65]

At least the manf. are realizing that going all electric is not going to happen over night and some are developing gas powered options again. The automotive industry is so huge here how can it just be converted suddenly. Stupid choices by people that don't want to consider all the options and planning. In my opinion battery technology has to change enough for it to be "convenient" to charge a car before more will start buying.

 

[adjat84th]

At least the manf. are realizing that going all electric is not going to happen over night and some are developing gas powered options again. The automotive industry is so huge here how can it just be converted suddenly. Stupid choices by people that don't want to consider all the options and planning. In my opinion battery technology has to change enough for it to be "convenient" to charge a car before more will start buying.

Battery tech is getting closer, solid-state batteries are going to change the EV industry IMO. VW is working with QuantumScape to bring their SSB to market that solves a lot of the current issues (range, safety, useful life, and charge time). I do wonder if VW will stay the course with that joint venture given the latest update on their closures/layoffs, but I can't see where other OEMs won't realize these benefits of SSBs and get on board eventually in the next 3-5 years.

 

[Lightflyer1]

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/volkswagen-plans-major-layoffs-shut-least-three-german-plants-works-council-head-2024-10-28/

"
WOLFSBURG, Germany, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), opens new tab plans to shut at least three factories in Germany, lay off tens of thousands of staff and shrink its remaining plants in Europe's biggest economy as it plots a deeper-than-expected overhaul, the company's works council head said on Monday.
Europe's biggest carmaker has been negotiating for weeks with unions over plans to revamp its business and cut costs, including considering plant closures on home soil for the first time, in a blow to Germany's industrial prowess.

VW under major pressure to cut costs
Workers face pay cuts, freeze in 2025, 2026
Shares down 1%
Cost-cutting plans beyond market expectations, analyst says"

 

[TurboABA]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/volkswagen-reports-third-quarter-profit-063531760.html

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

Might help if VW made cars people want to buy...

 

[turbodieseldyke]

So with 100,000 jobs taken out of the economy, the country can now deport 100,000 recent migrants who came "to work".

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

Awful expensive way to achieve "racial purity" and trash Germany's economy in the process.

 

[DS4465]

What Volkswagen's woes say about Germany's economic future.

VW`s faltering electric-vehicle (EV) strategy, soaring new car production costs, a weaker domestic economy, the post-COVID-19 European economy, and intense competition from China are contributing to VW`s revenue problems.

It is not only VW though. Last Tuesday, the announcement of a massive recall of 1.5 million vehicles by fellow German carmaker BMW added to the problems facing the automotive sector in Germany. BMW's shares dropped 11% after the news.

I am afraid the Germans if not all of (us) Europeans, have some economy-struggle years in front of us.

P.S. : Going all-electric will not work, even on the long-term basis. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Powder Hound]

While the EPA has been working their little minds into a frenzy over EVs, the market's reluctance to embrace the cost nightmare of current EVs has saved them from having to approve the bunches of new electrical generation plants that would need to be built in order to satisfy the new demand for electricity to recharge all those electron burners.

Can you imagine the laws that would need to be passed if there were indeed mass market adoption of EVs? Everyone that needs to recharge in order to get home would be in for a the headache of getting a permit to charge during the day. Since there is massive demand for electricity during the day when factories start up and air conditioners kick on so that people can work, there would be little excess to charge all the cars that would need to get home. Thus, in order to make it work, the new laws would prohibit the charging of cars during the day. You don't disappear the need to recharge during the night, so there will need to be large numbers of new electrcial generation plants built, and that is not an overnight project. And power companies are loathe to build a power plant that just sits there unused, so that will not happen in advance of demand.

And what about the EPA in all this? Has the EPA shown interest in approving new power plants of any fuel type? How about a nuclear plant? And have they ever admitted to a love for hydroelectric generation? Seems to me there is a separate set of enviro-loonies that want to tear down every dam they can, hydroelectric or not.

Methinks the whole economy and physical station of the country needs to be considered before this push to EVs can make sense. Right now, it certainly does not.

Cheers,

PH

 

[adjat84th]

Wait till you find out how much energy we need to support all the data centers that are being built.
26% of VA's energy consumption is from data centers alone.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

A lot of the policy decisions that decide where our electricity comes from are the work of powerful lobbying groups. For example, the Sierra Club is still hurting from a battle they lost a century ago to stop a dam from being built... So they've persuaded the EPA to de-emphasize hydro even though it's as green as wind and solar. Coal has a powerful lobby even thought it can't compete on a cost basis with natural gas, never mind how dirty coal is... So whole fleets of dirty old coal plants will still be alive and belching for decades. As for Artificial Intelligence and it's appetite for power and lots of it, the same millionaire and billionaire investors who suckered for EVs and self driving cars are pushing AI... Which is really dirty as hell, but they can buy off the politicians with just their petty cash!