In an address to 20,000 Volkswagen employees at Wolfsburg today, VW Group CEO Matthias Müller appealed for unity as the company seeks to recover from its current crisis.
“Despite the different views which people will of course have within a company, we know that we can only do it together,” said Müller. He encouraged the workforce to see the resulting transformation “not as a threat but as an opportunity”.
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There were also speeches from other leading VW Group managers and stakeholders.
Bernd Osterloh, Chairman of the Group Works Council, and Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand, also emphasised that everyone would need to pull in the same direction to make the company fit for the mobility of the future. “We are in absolute agreement; we are determined to bring Volkswagen back on the road to success together,” said Osterloh, speaking to an audience of more than 20,000 employees in Hall 11 at the Wolfsburg plant. And Diess emphasised: “It is our common task and responsibility to guide Volkswagen safely into the new era of mobility.”
In his speech, Stephan Weil, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, stated that Lower Saxony was giving the company its full support as a major shareholder: “Lower Saxony has had a very close connection with Volkswagen for decades. The state is standing by Volkswagen and its employees – in good times and in not so good times.” Weil promised the employees that this would continue to apply in the future. “There is no reason to make any changes to the close links between the state and employees at Volkswagen. Let us carry on with confidence and commitment on this basis.”
VW brand CEO Diess highlighted positive signs in the current situation. The Tiguan is a great opportunity, he said, speaking where the new compact SUV is to be produced. “To date, about 15,000 Tiguans have been ordered. The start of production has gone very well to date and was excellently planned by the team in Wolfsburg. This is how we can and should continue.”
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By GlobalDataIn his speech, Group CEO Müller emphasised: “The core brand Volkswagen and our main plant in Wolfsburg bear a special responsibility”.
