To give you an idea how insignificant this plant was for VW: about 160k vehicles were built there (mostly by hand) over its entire lifetime since 2000 and employed at most around 500 people (down to 230 in 2025).
They silo'd the entire third shift, this past summer. Hours are weakening. The recently-won UAW (union) membership is up for a challenge vote to dissolve it — before ever ratifying a contract.
Wouldn't surprise me that if UAW remains in place, VW will close down this facility (moving it elsewhere, if at all).
Fingers crossed VW starts making better vehicles, because they are a major employer in this city. Suggestions: hybrid drivetrains (not full EV).
It never really made sense after the Phaeton, which it was built for, comprehensively failed (expected production 20k/year, demand never went over 10k/year); it has been effectively closed before, and honestly it's kind of surprising it wasn't closed a decade ago.
I assure you that the biggest cost to VW, Ford, JLR, Renault etc is: 1. Building/investing in Chinese domestic market (IE, building plants in china to sell to their market) 2. lobbying governments to dissalow chinese branded/manufactured OEMs in western markets 3. Litigation on IP against those same chinese manufacturers they are both working with in chinese market, and preventing entry into their western market.
These problems "can be gotten around", by simply accepting this is reality. VW is doing such unfortunatley, while a company like BMW REALLY pretends "it's fine", as they have way too much cash doing nothing.
If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.
It's 20:21 CET+1 back here in West Europe and I am one of many living through the consequences and actually in the middle of this total shit storm.
Do you think we, the native people of Europe, think the collapse of our countries is somehow funny or to be applauded? DO YOU?!?