No future - VW plans to close Design Center in Potsdam
Volkswagen's carmaker Volkswagen will close its Design Center in Potsdam. "The function of the Center as a future lab for new technologies, such as those related to electromobility and the new customer ecosystem, has been gradually integrated into the regular innovation processes of the brand within the Volkswagen Group," a spokesperson for Volkswagen Group Services stated on a Wednesday. "Consequently, the operational business of Volkswagen Group Future Center Europe will be terminated by the end of 2024."
According to German Press Agency (dpa) reports, approximately 100 employees are affected. The Volkswagen Group Services declined to comment on the upcoming negotiations with the works council before their conclusion, the spokesperson added. All activities within the Volkswagen Group will be subjected to review.
The originally intended role of Volkswagen Group Future Center Europe GmbH as a future lab for vehicle design and the digital user experience around the company's vehicles has now been reached in the series development of the brands within the corporation.
Planned protest by the union
The IG Metall union announced a protest demonstration for the coming Monday. The Center in Potsdam, in addition to the one in Wolfsburg, is one of these types within the automotive group. There, research vehicles and future visions and prototypes are created. "We expect the company to quickly find employment for the employees and engage in discussions about a changed course," the union stated.
The Works Council supports their colleagues from the Group Future Center in Potsdam, according to a spokesperson. The Center falls under the jurisdiction of Volkswagen Group Services, where unlike in the parent company Volkswagen AG, there is no employment security. "We welcome the call to the demonstration explicitly."
The Design Center was opened in 2005 and later restructured and renamed. It was known after the restructuring as the largest future workshop of the corporation worldwide. Potsdam's Mayor Mike Schubert (SPD) told the "Potsdam Neuesten Nachrichten" (Wednesday/online), the departure is "an absolute loss" for Potsdam, as the city works closely with the VW-Group and the Center.
- The closure of Volkswagen's Design Center in Potsdam will impact the German Automotive industry, as approximately 100 employees will be affected.
- The German Press Agency reported that the Volkswagen Group Future Center Europe in Potsdam, which has played a significant role in the development of electromobility and the new customer ecosystem, will cease operations by the end of 2024.
- The Volkswagen Group Services, which oversees the Design Center, is located in Wolfsburg and does not offer employment security, unlike the parent company Volkswagen AG.
- The IG Metall union, which represents workers in the automotive industry, has announced a protest demonstration in support of the affected employees at the Potsdam Design Center.
- Volkswagen Group Services stated that the function of the Potsdam Design Center as a future lab has been integrated into the regular innovation processes of the brand within the Volkswagen Group, signaling a shift towards a more centralized approach to innovation in the Future of the Automotive industry.
