The Volkswagen job machine runs out of road

Around 44% of the company's more than 650,000 workers are based in high-cost Germany. (Image: Bloomberg, via Getty)

Sat, 07 Sep 2024

By Chris BryantThe fact that Volkswagen is considering its first-ever factory closures in Germany, as well as compulsory redundancies, is tantamount to a revolution at a company that has long prioritised protecting domestic jobs above nearly all else.It’s long-overdue recognition that the German giant must adapt to new realities. A global factory network, built for as many as 14 million vehicles, churned out barely nine million last year, as the company’s electric vehicles struggled to win over customers in Europe, and Chinese...

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