Volkswagen proposes 100,000 job cuts and four plant closures

Volkswagen's leadership presented a sweeping restructuring plan to its supervisory board on Thursday, July 9, 2026, proposing up to 100,000 job cuts globally and the closure of four German plants, a move that triggered immediate protests from the company's powerful labor unions. The pivotal meeting at the automaker's Wolfsburg headquarters marks a critical juncture for Europe's largest carmaker as it confronts intense pressure from Chinese competition, high costs, and shifting global trade policies.

The proposed cuts would double the number of job reductions already planned. Volkswagen is currently in the process of cutting 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 under a previous agreement with unions that also pledged to avoid plant closures until at least the end of the decade. The new plan, according to sources familiar with the matter, could reduce the company's global workforce of approximately 630,000 by roughly 15 percent. The four German sites reportedly under discussion for closure are Volkswagen plants in Hanover, Emden, and Zwickau, and an Audi factory in Neckarsulm.

Labor representatives vowed fierce opposition. IG Metall, Germany's largest industrial union, organized...