Niedersachsen’s Minister President, Olaf Lies (SPD), intends to investigate the potential construction of Chinese automobiles within Volkswagen’s German facilities. Speaking to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” Lies stated, “This needs an open discussion to examine whether there could be opportunities for VW’s production sites and the supplier industry”.
He noted that it is impossible to prevent Chinese automakers from increasing their push into the European market. At the same time, ensuring the utilization of the plants remains crucial. “We must find a solution for the employees regarding how this can succeed” Lies added. He pointed out that new models are arriving on the Chinese market, which VW has developed-both in collaboration with reliable and close Chinese partners and autonomously in China-and is now producing. “This automatically raises the question of what prospects this presents and whether cooperation could also take place in Europe”.
The Minister President argued that the automaker, in which Niedersachsen holds a 20 percent stake in voting shares, offers “global production and logistics capabilities that hardly any other company possesses”. He stressed that isolation alone will not guarantee success, especially by adopting a stance of non-cooperation. “The question is whether we can develop a cooperation on equal footing”. Reflecting the company’s history, he mentioned that the corporation has repeatedly adapted successfully to changing conditions. “That is why I am confident that this will not only succeed here, but that Volkswagen will remain successful worldwide with different strategies for different markets” according to the Minister President of Lower Saxony.