Auto industry in crisis
According to the report, Audi wants to cut thousands of jobs
After the massive drop in profits, Audi plans to cut several thousand jobs in the future, according to a media report. The employment guarantee should remain for the time being.
According to a media report, the Ingolstadt car manufacturer Audi is facing job cuts. In the medium term, jobs should be cut mainly in the indirect sector; more than 2,000 jobs are involved in development alone, reported “Manager Magazin” on Thursday, citing insiders.
The target in the indirect area is a reduction of around 15 percent, which would be around 4,500 jobs in Germany alone. The Volkswagen subsidiary confirmed that the board is currently negotiating with the works council, but did not comment on the number of positions that may be affected.
Slump in profits at Audi
Audi CFO Jürgen Rittersberger said on Tuesday that the employment guarantee, which is valid until 2029, remains valid. An Audi spokeswoman said that the agreement also stipulates that new negotiations will be initiated if the business environment deteriorates. “The Audi board confirms that this is now the case.” The discussions would be conducted internally, she emphasized. In the past quarter, Audi’s profits fell sharply, among other things due to high costs for the likely closure of the plant in Brussels.
Audi boss Gernot Döllner is currently also responsible for technical development. According to Audi, the area is currently being reorganized and the changes are scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2025. An Audi spokesman emphasized that this was not about cutting jobs, but rather about interlinking the various areas more closely and enabling faster decisions. Recently, Audi had to contend with massive delays in the introduction of new vehicles, particularly because the necessary software was not ready. The electric Q6 e-tron came onto the market about two years late.
Tops & Flops: Wolfsburg’s electric cars
The electric beetle
In 2019, the Beetle was officially available with the drive of the small electric car E-Up, i.e. 82 hp, which brought the car to 80 kilometers per hour in just over eight seconds. Maximum speed: 150 km/h. Range: a good 200 kilometers. The E-Beetle was not cheap; the floor assembly for the electric drive alone costs 39,900 euros. You could bring your own old, well-preserved chassis; a specialist from Renningen carried out the conversion. Or you could simply buy a finished, electrically powered Beetle convertible for 99,000 euros. It remained a model for enthusiasts
© Volkswagen
Car companies are in crisis
Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen, is also threatening to close three plants and cut tens of thousands of jobs. In the current collective bargaining round, Volkswagen management is demanding a ten percent reduction in salaries and the waiver of a number of special payments. The Wolfsburg-based company had already terminated the employment security agreement that had been in effect for three decades.
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Source: Stern
