WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Weak demand on the car market is putting pressure on manufacturers' production. On average, the German plants of Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes & Co. were only running at just over two-thirds capacity last year. This is the result of an analysis by data specialist Marklines for the German Press Agency. According to the data, all locations together were able to deliver 6.2 million cars per year. In 2023, it was just over 4.1 million.

The Marklines figures show huge differences between the locations. While Porsche Stuttgart was almost fully utilized at almost 100 percent in 2023 and Audi Ingolstadt and BMW Munich were only slightly worse at almost 90 percent, Opel Eisenach did not even reach 30 percent of its possible capacity. The Ford plant in Koln was also only running at just over a third of capacity.

Opel's main plant in Rüsselsheim, on the other hand, reached 60 percent. Other large sites were only operating at around half capacity, including the main VW and Mercedes-Benz plants in Wolfsburg and Sindelfingen. The Tesla plant in Grünheide near Berlin, which is due to open in 2022, also only managed 51%.

Several manufacturers recently cut back production due to the low capacity utilization. Audi is considering stopping e-car production in Brussels. The plant could be closed. VW has canceled night shifts at several locations. A quarter of capacity will be lost as a result. Ford had already announced in 2022 that it would close the plant in Saarlouis at the end of 2025./fjo/DP/zb