Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Germany’s automotive crisis is deepening as BMW prepares to cut thousands of jobs and Audi workers fight to protect the country’s biggest factories.
BMW says several thousand administrative and development positions will disappear by the end of 2027 through voluntary redundancies. A source told Reuters the reduction could reach approximately 8,000, although BMW has not confirmed that figure and production workers are excluded.
Meanwhile, around 6,000 Audi employees protested against the possible closure of Neckarsulm, which employs 15,000 people and produces the A5, A6, A8 and e-tron GT. Volkswagen says closure after 2030 remains possible if no viable alternative is found.
With Porsche cutting one in five jobs and Volkswagen considering four factory closures and up to 100,000 reductions, Germany faces an industry-wide reckoning.
Engineering cuts could delay programmes, reduce model choice and shift production elsewhere. This is no longer one troubled manufacturer: Germany’s automotive business model is under attack.
Germany’s automotive crisis is deepening as BMW prepares to cut thousands of jobs and Audi workers fight to protect the country’s biggest factories.
BMW says several thousand administrative and development positions will disappear by the end of 2027 through voluntary redundancies. A source told Reuters the reduction could reach approximately 8,000, although BMW has not confirmed that figure and production workers are excluded.
Meanwhile, around 6,000 Audi employees protested against the possible closure of Neckarsulm, which employs 15,000 people and produces the A5, A6, A8 and e-tron GT. Volkswagen says closure after 2030 remains possible if no viable alternative is found.
With Porsche cutting one in five jobs and Volkswagen considering four factory closures and up to 100,000 reductions, Germany faces an industry-wide reckoning.
Engineering cuts could delay programmes, reduce model choice and shift production elsewhere. This is no longer one troubled manufacturer: Germany’s automotive business model is under attack.
