6,000 Audi workers protest threat to Germany's Neckarsulm plant
Why it matters: Volkswagen is weighing closures after 2030 and up to 100,000 job cuts, raising pressure on Germany's auto heartland.
About 6,000 Audi workers protested in Neckarsulm on July 29 over the possible closure of the German carmaker's plant there, as parent Volkswagen presses ahead with a restructuring that could eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. Workers and labor representatives demanded clarity on the future of the site, which employs about 15,000 people and builds the Audi A5, A6 and A8, plus the e-tron GT. Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume has identified Neckarsulm as one of four German plants that could shut after 2030 if no alternative is found. Audi has already planned to cut up to 7,500 jobs in Germany by 2029, while broader talks could lift groupwide reductions to 100,000 jobs.