Although the reduction of 35,000 jobs at the VW brand has already been determined and agreements have been reached for 25,000, the expansion to 50,000 jobs hits the group to the core. The fact that Audi, Porsche and Cariad are now also bleeding gives the news a completely different impact in view of the massive drop in profits. What began as a transformation threatens to degenerate into a real crisis – symbolic of Germany as an industrial location.

In the video: Profit is almost halved: VW reports devastating figures

VW job cuts: “The uncertainty is really great”

After the latest negative reports, the mood at the main plant in Wolfsburg is depressed. Hardly anyone from the workforce wants to share their assessment publicly. “The mood is not good,” confirms a long-time employee in an interview with FOCUS online: “The uncertainty is really great.” He doesn’t want to give his name because he actually enjoys working at VW.

In more than three decades he has gotten to know production and various other areas of the company. “But I’ve never experienced anything like the last two years,” says the employee, who has been through many ups and downs. Until now, the following has always been the case: “We always scraped by.”

He says one of the group’s strengths is that everyone used to pull together. That’s exactly what he’s missing now. “The board is not making any concessions and the workforce has to iron it out,” he says. In addition, the entire industry is under pressure – competition from China, high material prices, US tariffs and delivery bottlenecks are challenging the Wolfsburg-based company.

Criticism of management mistakes and VW board bonuses

In addition, there are domestic political failures in the mobility transition. One patchy charging infrastructure and high electricity prices are slowing down the electric car business. “But there were also management mistakes,” the employee sees the top management as responsible: “Nobody took responsibility.”

The workforce is particularly bitter about the fact that management is receiving full bonuses despite the crisis. While the employees give up money to support the restructuring, it works Reports on accounting tricks in executive board salaries like a slap in the face. “It’s coming up again now and it’s bitter that the board receives full remuneration. It doesn’t add up,” said the employee.

VW employment security: How secure are the collective agreements?

The poor figures also raise doubts about the employment guarantee agreed until 2030. “Now the circus is starting again. That brings resentment and uncertainty,” says the employee. The big concern: If the situation worsens further, the company could terminate the contracts early in order to make the red pencil even more radical.

There is also a lack of understanding that the core VW brand should now absorb problems in other divisions, such as the weak business at Porsche. “We change something and things continue to run smoothly somewhere else,” he says, wondering: “Suddenly you are responsible for the entire company.”

Hope through new electric models like the ID. polo

Despite the tension, the workforce does not want to fall into gloom. The future product range, such as the planned ID, offers hope. Polo. “A stylish and great car,” says the employee. In the future, VW will have to stand out again in terms of quality and appearance, since “many cars can now be built”.

A single model won’t save the company, but it will show employees that the fight for market share is not hopeless. “I have hope that things will go up again,” says a colleague, despite all the concerns. In the future, VW could score points with much more than just the ID. Polo. Whether buyers ultimately see it that way remains to be seen.