Volkswagen does not yet see an economically viable alternative to production at its plant in Hanover once production of current models ends in the early 2030s. According to a company statement, Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz made this announcement at an extraordinary employee meeting. He noted that a similar situation applies to a total of four plants in Germany.

Volkswagen plans to reduce production capacity across Europe by approximately 500,000 vehicles. Without this step, Antlitz said, the group would face a long term cost disadvantage of approximately €1.5bn ($1.76bn) per year. Despite improvements, production costs in Hanover remain significantly higher than at other European plants.

Employee representatives are therefore demanding that Volkswagen present a plan for the plant’s future use. Works council chairman Stavros Christidis is pushing for the Transporter model to be produced again in Hanover after 2031, in accordance with the agreement reached there.

Thorsten Gröger, regional head of the IG Metall union, is also demanding a viable future for the plant beyond 2030. He says that if management sticks to its current course, the union will not shy away from a conflict.

(welt, bak)