Volkswagen worsened by the war: what happens to production

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affects the production of VW, Porsche, Audi, BMW and Mercedes, as the critical components are limited.

Volkswagen has anticipated a one-week shutdown at its plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, as rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz have halted production due to a lack of parts in Ukraine.

VW has been halting production at the Wolfsburg plant for at least two weeks, a company spokesman said.

The factory builds the VW Golf, Tiguan and Touran and Seat Tarraco models. Production shutdown was originally announced for next week.

VW has assumed that it will be able to produce a small number of cars in Wolfsburg this week, but the supply situation has worsened more than previously expected, the spokesman said.

Production of electric cars with VW, Audi and Cupra compact batteries at the VW Group plant in Zwickau also ceased by March 18. The VW plant in Emden continues to build cars.

The production break has been extended to two weeks ago

Audi and Porsche, two brands of the VW Group, are also reducing production because component deliveries, mostly wiring made in Ukraine, are limited.

Audi on Monday cut off production lines for the A4 and A5 models at its plant in Ingolstadt, Germany. Production of the A6 and A7 models in Neckarsulm was also discontinued.

Porsche has stopped production of the Macan and Panamera models in Leipzig by the end of the week. The 911 production in Zuffenhausen, near Stuttgart, continues.

BMW stopped production at its factory in Munich and at Dingolfing, the largest factory in Europe, initially for a week.

A BMW spokesman said it was not yet clear when production would resume. “We have no visibility and we are in intense discussions with our suppliers,” the spokesman said.

Mercedes-Benz has said it is reducing production at some of its European plants, but aims to avoid complete production shutdowns.