WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - The crisis-ridden carmaker Volkswagen is playing through the possibility of relocating Golf production from its main plant in Wolfsburg to Mexico. This is one of the numerous scenarios currently being examined by the management for plant occupancy, the news agencies dpa-AFX and dpa have learned from sources close to the Group. However, the variant is not considered the most likely outcome of the current deliberations. The "Handelsblatt" had previously reported on the brainstorming.

VW did not wish to comment on the information. A works council spokesman spoke of speculation, which is far removed from possible resolutions. Like the Beetle before it, the Golf is considered by many to be the flagship among VW models. The Golf is currently only produced for the global market at the Group's headquarters in Lower Saxony. In Mexico, the Group has a plant in Puebla, which previously also built the Beetle for the North American market.

Current Group crisis characterized by wage dispute

Management and employee representatives in Wolfsburg are currently engaged in collective bargaining to reduce costs. The main focus is on labor and factory costs, with redundancies and plant closures on the agenda.

Among other things, Volkswagen is demanding wage cuts of ten percent. According to the company, this is necessary in order to be able to invest in the future. In return for concessions, the works council is demanding above all a secure timetable for the coming years. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for the beginning of next week.

Will decisions be made in the planning round?

How the future models will be allocated to the factories is traditionally a topic at Volkswagen in the so-called planning round, which determines the investments for the next five years. This time, the plants and the work to be distributed among them are also part of the collective bargaining talks due to the cost reductions planned by the company.

If the Golf, which alongside the Tiguan is the flagship of the main Wolfsburg plant, were to be discontinued, the employees would probably demand other models to secure future work at the plant. According to the information, another option for Golf production is a VW plant in Poland. A so-called overflow production of the Golf from Wolfsburg was already planned for the plant in Poznan.

Future of the combustion Golf open anyway

Both Mexico and Poland are considered more cost-effective than Germany. Tariff threats by former and new US President Donald Trump would probably affect both locations for exports to the USA. It remains to be seen how long the combustion-powered Golf from Wolfsburg will continue to exist.

Volkswagen has prepared itself for a fundamental ban on combustion engines in the EU from 2035 and has invested a lot of money in new e-models. A new high-volume electric model, such as a fully electric version of the Golf called the "ID.Golf", would therefore be possible at the Wolfsburg site./men/bch/sl