Volkswagen Group Presses Ahead with Plan to Eliminate 50,000 Jobs

Volkswagen Group is continuing its sweeping workforce reduction program targeting 50,000 jobs, the German automaker announced, as production costs at its German plants fell by more than 20 percent in 2025. The cost cuts are part of a broader restructuring effort by Europe's largest automaker, which has been under pressure from declining sales, rising competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, and the high cost of its German manufacturing operations. The development is closely watched in Slovakia, where Volkswagen's Bratislava plant is one of the country's largest employers and a cornerstone of the Slovak industrial economy, making any shifts in the group's strategy a matter of significant national economic concern.