Will Volkswagen Be Sold To The Chinese Soon, Or Is This Just Speculations?

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume has dismissed rumors of negotiations with Chinese manufacturers, confirming no plans for sales or takeovers. While acknowledging the need to address excess capacity to remain competitive, Blume emphasized that the company is focused on restructuring rather than on partnerships with Chinese entities.

Blume stated that three years of austerity and restructuring have made Volkswagen more resilient to market pressures. He warned that European sales won’t reach pre-pandemic levels and confirmed a shift from exporting German-made cars to localizing production, particularly in China.

Volkswagen has previously announced that, in agreement with unions and the works council, it is seeking to avoid closing factories in Germany.

At the same time, at the end of last month, Blume stated that potential contracts with defense companies or agreements on sharing production capacities with Chinese partners could represent one of the possible solutions, which caused additional media speculation about future partnerships, similar to those already achieved by other European manufacturers.

German state officials in Lower Saxony and Saxony are open to Chinese auto industry investment to protect jobs, though critics warn this could intensify competition for European brands like BYD and Chery.

The question of the perception of the company’s future also opened up among the public and among the workers after Volkswagen started talks about selling the factory in Osnabrück to a defense partner. The head of the workers’ council, Daniela Cavallo, called for an end to speculation about plant closures and the future of German factories.

“The impression is that Volkswagen has almost become a takeover target and needs help,” Cavallo said at a meeting with employees, adding that the focus should be on products and stabilizing the business, not “constant talk of closures and alleged negotiations with third parties.”

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