Volkswagen said it will stop making cars for a short time at two of its electric car factories in Germany. This is another sign that the country’s car industry is having problems.
The production will stop for one week in early October at the Zwickau and Dresden factories, which are in eastern Germany, a Volkswagen spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
“We are changing our production plans to match the current market situation,” the spokesperson said.
Bloomberg, a financial news agency, also reported that Volkswagen will stop production for a few days at another electric car factory in Emden, in northern Germany.
However, Volkswagen did not confirm any details about what is happening at the Emden factory.
Car companies in Europe are having trouble selling electric vehicles (EVs). Many people don’t want to buy them because they cost too much and there aren’t enough charging stations.
On Thursday, the auto parts company Bosch said it will cut 10% of its German jobs because of low demand for EVs. Earlier this month, Ford also said it will cut up to 1,000 jobs at a plant in Cologne that makes electric cars.
Volkswagen’s Zwickau and Dresden factories make cars from its electric ID. series. The Zwickau plant also builds the Q4 e-tron, which is an Audi car. Audi is one of 10 brands owned by the Volkswagen Group.
Last December, Volkswagen made a deal with workers’ unions to cut 35,000 jobs by 2030 to save money. Besides the problems with electric cars, Volkswagen is also facing strong competition in China and weak car sales in Europe.
