Spiegel: To put pressure on employees, Volkswagen executives are fabricating a crisis.

There was complete panic in Wolfsburg over a 177-page document outlining the BCG consulting firm’s transformation concept.

In an internal survey conducted at the end of 2025, eight members of the management board, the head of Porsche and members of the supervisory board were questioned.

Their answers paint a depressing picture: most consider the situation extremely critical, and the head of the nine directors sees the company as existentially threatened.

They are unique in their assessment that the current business model – development in Germany, production in Europe and sales worldwide – is outdated, as are the strategies for China and North America.

At the same time, there is discord within the leadership, and unity is assessed as weak.

Due to poor results, CEO Oliver Blume is pushing a harsh austerity course, questioning the survival of factories and planning billions of euros in savings.

However, there may be tactics behind these alarming responses.

The management board has been trying for a long time to put pressure on the unions by threatening to close the four German factories, given that the contracts prevent operational layoffs until 2030 (at Audi until 2033).

It is possible that the recognition of an “existential threat” is only an instrument for crushing workers’ resistance.

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