The head of Audi’s Works Council, Jörg Schlagbauer, is seeking firm commitments regarding German facilities as the company evaluates the potential construction of a new U.S. plant. Schlagbauer emphasized that any expansion into the United States should not come at the expense of jobs or production levels within Audi’s German operations.
His comments follow a comprehensive agreement reached in March between the Works Council and company management regarding workforce adjustments. The “Future Agreement” outlines the potential reduction of up to 7,500 positions by 2033, coupled with investment guarantees for Audi’s German plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm and an extension of existing capacity planning at those locations. Specifically, the agreement secures long-term production volumes of 450,000 vehicles for Ingolstadt and 225,000 vehicles for Neckarsulm.
Schlagbauer insists these production commitments must be maintained even if a new plant is built in the United States, requesting a formal, written guarantee. He stated that any shift of production from existing German sites to a potential U.S. facility must be offset by equivalent investment or projects within Germany. “If a product is to be moved from an existing Audi location to the USA, we need compensation for that” he explained.