German factories to halt work for one week next month in blow to EV switchover
Volkswagen is to pause production at two of its plants in Germany because of weak demand for fully electric cars.
The carmaker will suspend work for one week next month in Dresden as well as at its EV plant in Zwickau , which produces six EV models for VW, Audi and Cupra.
It also plans to shorten the working week by a day at a third plant in Osnabrck in Lower Saxony.
The decision by a company emblematic of Germanys position as the engine of the EUs economy, will be seen as a dent in the unions hopes of switching the continent to electric vehicles in the next 10 years.
Closure days are also being considered at a fourth plant in Emden, which makes the ID.4 and ID.7.
Zwickau in Lower Saxony has been converted to electric car production with the last combustion engine rolling off the assembly line in 2020. The switch ended 116 years of history that included production of the Trabant car before German reunification.
Stellantis, which owns Fiat and Peugeot, has announced a pause in production at several European factories for similar reasons to VW.
A VW spokesperson said: Volkswagen is adjusting the production programme at its plants to match current customer demand for the models built there. In some plants, this will lead to shift cancellations in the coming weeks, while in others it will result in additional shifts.
Weekend shifts will be added at VWs Wolfsburg plant, which is considered the home of the company and its combustion engine cars.
Sales of EVs slowed last month while demand for hybrid battery models soared, underlining continued consumer fears over range and charging issues.
Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association shows that, while EV take-up in Norway is high, adoption elsewhere in Europe, including France and Germany, is slow. In southern Europe, where there is little EV charging infrastructure, demand is particularly weak.
Overall, just 16% of new car sales are EVs, according to the associations data. The figure for hybrids is 37%.
Chinese brands are making significant inroads in the European market with sales of the BYD brand up by nearly 250% in the first eight months of this year compared with the same period in 2024.
Last week, VWs chief executive, Oliver Blume, said manufacturers were experiencing massive changes with a clear drop in demand for battery-electric cars.
The companys ID models are among the EUs top sellers but the smaller ID.4 has been particularly vulnerable to punishing tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, the US president.
According to VWs publicity material almost every second registered electric car of the Volkswagen Group worldwide comes from Zwickau.
德国工厂下月将停产一周 电动汽车转型进程受挫
由于纯电动汽车需求疲软，大众汽车将暂停其德国两家工厂的生产。
该汽车制造商将于下月暂停德累斯顿工厂和茨维考电动汽车工厂的生产一周，茨维考工厂为大众、奥迪和Cupra生产六款电动车型。
该公司还计划在下萨克森州奥斯纳布吕克的第三家工厂将每周工作日缩短一天。
这家象征德国作为欧盟经济引擎地位的公司所作出的决定，将被视为对欧盟在未来10年内推动欧洲转向电动汽车的希望的一次打击。
位于埃姆登的第四家工厂也在考虑停工，该工厂主要生产ID.4和ID.7车型。
位于下萨克森州的茨维考市已全面转型为电动汽车生产基地，最后一台燃油发动机于2020年下线。这一转变终结了该地长达116年的燃油车生产历史，其中包括德国统一前著名的特拉贝特汽车制造史。
旗下拥有菲亚特和标致品牌的斯特兰蒂斯集团宣布，因与大众汽车类似的原因，暂停数家欧洲工厂的生产。
大众汽车发言人表示："大众汽车正在调整各工厂的生产计划，以适应当前客户对相关车型的需求。未来几周内，部分工厂将取消轮班生产，而其他工厂则会增加轮班班次。"
大众汽车将在其沃尔夫斯堡工厂增加周末班次，该工厂被视为该公司及其内燃机汽车的发源地。
上月电动汽车销量放缓，而混合动力车型需求激增，这凸显出消费者对续航里程和充电问题的持续担忧。
欧洲汽车制造商协会数据显示，尽管挪威的电动汽车普及率较高，但在包括法国和德国在内的欧洲其他地区，电动汽车的推广进展缓慢。在南欧地区，由于充电基础设施匮乏，市场需求尤为低迷。
根据该协会数据，目前电动汽车仅占新车总销量的16%，而混合动力汽车的占比为37%。
中国品牌正在欧洲市场取得重大进展，比亚迪品牌今年前八个月的销量较2024年同期增长近250%。
上周，大众汽车首席执行官奥利弗·布鲁姆表示，制造商正经历“巨大变革”，且“市场对纯电动汽车的需求明显下降”。
该公司的ID系列车型是欧盟最畅销的车型之一，但尺寸较小的ID.4尤其容易受到美国总统唐纳德·特朗普实施的惩罚性关税影响。
根据大众汽车的宣传资料显示，全球范围内注册的大众集团电动汽车中，几乎每两辆就有一辆产自茨维考。
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