Plant closures possible as part of German carmakers efforts to create resilience in face of competition from China
Volkswagen plans to cut costs by 20% by 2028, with plant closures not ruled out, as part of an effort to reshape the company in the face of increasing competition from China, according to reports.
The German automotive companys chief executive, Oliver Blume, and its finance chief, Arno Antlitz, are said to have presented a plan for massive savings at a meeting of the companys top executives last month.
Declining sales, high costs, the rise in sales of Chinese cars in Europe and robotisation are forcing manufacturers and suppliers across the car industry in Germany to create resilience in the sector.
Volkswagen announced plans for deep restructuring across its brands and plants 18 months ago as part of an effort to save 10bn (058.7bn), a move that was seen in Germany as an earthquake in one of the countrys most famous companies.
Back then it announced cuts of 35,000 to its workforce of 135,000 by 2030 after an agreement with the staff union including natural attrition through retirement and other staff departures.
At the time, Volkswagen said the job losses would save 1.5bn a year but the details on how this would be achieved remained undisclosed.
The latest, behind-closed-doors initiative is aimed at ensuring profits settle at a sustainable level in the new competitive environment, the German publication Manager Magazin reported on Monday.
Volkswagen said it was unable to comment on reports of its cost-cutting drive until its annual results are announced on 10 March. But a spokesperson said on Monday that since the restructuring programme was announced three years ago, it had achieved savings in the double62digit billion62euro range.
They added: This has enabled the group to cushion geopolitical headwinds C such as tariffs in the United States C and stay on course.
Where exactly the savings are to be made and where cooperation between the brands is to be improved remained unclear at the meeting, Manager Magazin said, but it reported that plant closures could also be on the table.
The further details on the restructuring came after new data showed that the EUs trade deficit with China grew by 18% in 2025, with Europeans continuing to buy more from China than they sold.
The data from Eurostat estimated the annual EU trade deficit with China was 359.3bn, or about 1bn a day. This has fuelled concerns that the EUs strategy, which includes tariffs on electric vehicles and formal initiatives to wean itself off critical supplies that impact industry and energy, is not having the desired impact.
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is due to go to China next week, with trade high on the agenda.
Germanys car industry is deeply embedded in China, with Volkswagen and other brands operating an extensive manufacturing base in the country though longstanding joint ventures.
Under Merzs predecessor, Olaf Scholz, Germany voted against EU tariffs on Chinese imports, such was its concern about the impact on sales in the EU of Chinese-made German car brands.
It failed to win the argument but in a significant development last week Volkswagen secured a breakthrough tariff reprieve for one China-made brand, the Cupra Tavascan SUV. This was in exchange for agreeing to sell the car at an agreed minimum price.
Chinas strategic partnerships will come under the spotlight again in April when Donald Trump is expected to visit Beijing, with all focus on de-escalation of trade wars between the two economic superpowers, referred to by the US president as the G2.
Volkswagen has been approached for comment.
德国汽车制造商为应对中国竞争提升抗风险能力，可能关闭部分工厂
据报道，大众汽车计划到2028年前削减20%的成本，且不排除关闭工厂的可能性，此举旨在应对来自中国日益激烈的竞争，对公司进行重组。
据悉，这家德国汽车公司的首席执行官奥利弗·布鲁姆（Oliver Blume）和首席财务官阿诺·安特利茨（Arno Antlitz）在上月的高管会议上提出了一项旨在实现“大幅”节约的计划。
销量下滑、成本高企、中国汽车在欧洲市场的份额攀升以及自动化浪潮，正迫使德国汽车行业的制造商和供应商提升产业韧性。
18个月前，大众汽车宣布对其旗下品牌和工厂进行全面重组，旨在节省100亿欧元（87亿英镑）。这一举措在德国被视为该国最知名企业之一的"地震级"变革。
当时该公司宣布，在与员工工会达成协议后，计划到2030年将员工总数从13.5万人裁减3.5万人，其中包括通过退休等自然减员方式实现的裁员。
大众汽车当时表示，裁员每年可节省15亿欧元，但具体实施细节仍未公开。
德国《经理人杂志》周一报道称，这项最新的闭门会议举措旨在确保利润在新的竞争环境中维持在可持续水平。
大众汽车表示，在3月10日年度业绩公布前，无法对有关其成本削减行动的报道置评。但一位发言人周一称，自三年前重组计划宣布以来，公司已"实现数百亿欧元级别的节约"。
他们补充道：“这使得该集团能够抵御地缘政治逆风——例如美国的关税政策——并保持既定发展路线。”
《经理人杂志》报道称，会议并未明确具体在哪些方面进行成本削减以及如何加强品牌间合作，但提到关闭工厂也可能成为讨论选项。
最新数据显示，2025年欧盟对华贸易逆差增长了18%，欧洲从中国的进口额持续高于出口额。在此背景下，有关重组的更多细节被披露。
欧盟统计局数据显示，欧盟对华年度贸易逆差估计为3593亿欧元，约合每日10亿欧元。这引发了人们的担忧：欧盟当前战略——包括对电动汽车加征关税、正式启动摆脱影响工业和能源的关键供应链计划——并未取得预期效果。
德国总理弗里德里希·默茨将于下周访问中国，贸易问题将是此次行程的重要议题。
德国汽车工业与中国市场深度融合，大众等品牌通过长期合资企业在该国建立了庞大的生产基地。
在梅尔茨的前任奥拉夫·朔尔茨执政期间，德国曾投票反对欧盟对中国进口商品加征关税，这反映出德国对欧盟市场销售的中国制造德系汽车品牌可能受到影响的担忧。
尽管未能赢得争论，但大众汽车上周取得了一项重要进展：其中国制造的子品牌西雅特Cupra Tavascan SUV成功获得了突破性关税豁免。这一豁免的代价是大众同意以协议最低价格销售该车型。
中国的战略伙伴关系将在四月再次成为焦点，届时唐纳德·特朗普预计将访问北京，各方关注的重点是这两个经济超级大国之间贸易战的缓和。美国总统将这两个国家称为“G2”。
大众汽车集团已被联系置评。
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