Volkswagen Shifting Production Out of Europe, Into U.S. and China

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Volkswagen Group will be moving some of its European production out of the continent and into facilities located in China and the United States, citing the war in Ukraine as the largest contributing factor. Though if you’ve been following the company, it had already signaled a desire to raise its capacity in China ever since the region shifted into becoming its largest market.

In fact, Chief Executive Herbert Diess said during Tuesday’s press call that China will be taking precedence as the automaker reorganizes its manufacturing.

“We will shift more into China because of the situation in Europe,” the CEO explained, mentioning limited access to parts and raw materials since the war began.

According to Reuters, Diess was also asked how VW would respond when and if China invaded Taiwan. He said he wasn’t concerned, stating that it was his belief China would not launch such an attack.

“China has a high interest to keep borders open,” Diess said. “We think it is an asset for us to be strong in China. China is a stronghold for us.

From Reuters:

The carmaker has suspended production in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

A lack of wire harnesses normally sourced from Ukraine was the most significant supply chain constraint at the moment, Diess said, affecting most German plants. If it could not relocate production in 3-4 weeks, its outlook would need to be revised, Diess said.

VW executives have previously hinted that China was becoming their biggest priority and with good reason. The company outsells every other brand on the Chinese market by nearly a million vehicles annually. Volkswagen presently enjoys a 16 percent market share for the region and believes it can do even better as it increases electric vehicle sales over the next several years. Meanwhile, the European zone is highly developed and looking quite beleaguered — especially as inflation stemming from the pandemic has been made worse by the Russo-Ukrainian War.

While that could change once the conflict ends, Diess believes the comedies market will remain extremely volatile until at least 2026. With prices on nickel and palladium soaring, modern EV batteries are seeing massive price increases. But even steel is getting increasingly expensive and the further supplies have to travel, the more expensive they end up becoming. Still, it’s curious to see Volkswagen Group make special mention of the United States when Western Europe typically sees far more deliveries annually.

Regardless, the company said it expects vehicles to become even more expensive this year due to the price of raw materials. It’s also already done some heavy restructuring by cutting overhead in 2021, resulting in roughly $4.4 billion of freed capital. This was after labor union IG Metall accused VW leadership of having grotesquely mismanaged the company for years, risking thousands of German jobs and the company’s own reputation, in 2020.

[Image: Volkswagen]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Kars Kars on Mar 15, 2022

    and when China invades Taiwan how do you think having plants in China will play out?

    • Superdessucke Superdessucke on Mar 15, 2022

      It will be a head-slapping V8 moment, coupled with a request for assistance. The labor (not needed because of automation of course...wink) is so cheap, they think it's worth the risk. This is, how shall we say, a subterfuge.

  • Theflyersfan Theflyersfan on Mar 16, 2022

    I think they need to nuke their plants from orbit unless they can fix just a few quality issues. I think a big smoking crater where an auto plant used to be might provide enough motivation to make sure everything works before they rush it out the back door. @FreedMike: it's in the US awaiting a transport truck to drive it out east. Yet another delay - there aren't enough drivers out there who make these trips!

  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
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