Volkswagen’s (VW) management board is preparing to recommend the phased end of manufacturing at four German plants in the coming years, according to an internal document seen by German business publication WirtschaftsWoche.
According to a translated version of the report, output at the Emden and Zwickau sites would cease in 2031, followed by Hanover in 2032 and Neckarsulm in 2034.
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The document, titled “Report on the Supervisory Board’s Concept Resolution, September 3/4, 2026”, was prepared for an upcoming supervisory board vote.
It links each closure to the transfer of a successor model to another site in the group’s production network.
Under the plan, production in Emden would finish in 2031 when the successor to the ID.4, the ID. Tiguan, moves to Škoda’s plant in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic.
Zwickau’s exit in 2031 is tied to the relocation of the replacement for the Q4 e-tron to Bratislava, Slovakia.
Hanover would close in 2032 alongside the move of its B-Space (T8) electric van to Poznań, Poland, while Neckarsulm’s wind-down in 2034 is connected to the transfer of A8 successor production to Leipzig, Germany.
The document says VW’s management board unanimously supported a “concept for the overall transformation of the VW Group”.
According to the document, the restructuring is intended to help “stabilise VW’s credit rating and the associated capital and refinancing costs”.
It also says that “the existing business models and structures are no longer sufficient to ensure the long-term competitiveness and profitability of the VW Group”.
The report also points to an expected decline in group deliveries, with around 8.5 million vehicles forecast to be sold in 2026.
It says first-half results for the year already indicate “a further reduction” in sales volume.
In July, VW indicated that it planned to reduce its model range by as much as half as part of a broader cost-cutting programme but did not at that time give details on possible job losses or plant closures.
Last month, Blume said growing pressure across the automotive sector would necessitate further cost cuts as VW entered weeks of negotiations over a restructuring programme.
Employee representatives warned during the same period that up to 140,000 roles could ultimately be affected.
The figure comprises roughly 50,000 job cuts already agreed in Germany, a further 50,000 positions management has indicated may be needed worldwide, and around 40,000 jobs at the four German factories.
