Volkswagen: VW stops “Gamechanger” production project

Berlin. The Volkswagen works council has criticized the end of a planned conversion of production to large castings in Wolfsburg. Works council boss Daniela Cavallo said in a statement published on Wednesday that the burial of the "Gamechanger" project meant a blatant breach of the collective bargaining agreement from December 2024. The new vehicles would continue to be built on the SSP future platform, but using conventional methods. With the decision to discontinue the project for cost reasons, the group's board of directors said goodbye to its claim to technological leadership in the manufacturing process. "This is a revelation from management," she said. At Volkswagen, the focus is now only on short-term returns, and no longer on the future viability of the group.

A Volkswagen spokesman confirmed that the production concept would not be implemented in the form previously planned. "Against the background of the company's tense economic situation, all investments are currently being put to the test," he explained. "This is accompanied by the decision to forego the construction of the planned large-scale casting center at the Wolfsburg location." The development of the future electric platform SSP is unaffected by this decision and will continue unabated. “We are also sticking to our goal of making the production of the next generation of vehicles simpler, more efficient and more competitive in all plants.”

In December 2024, Volkswagen management agreed with the works council, among other things, to convert the main plant in Wolfsburg and to use production processes such as large-scale casting. This is considered cheaper to manufacture. This is intended to equip the factory for the construction of electric models on the SSP platform, such as the electric Golf or the electric T-Roc. In return, the combustion engine Golf is to be relocated to Mexico. Cavallo explained that the employee representatives are demanding information from the supervisory board about what the end of the "Gamechanger" project means for personnel requirements and production volumes. “As long as we don’t have transparency about the details, the combustion engine Golf won’t leave Wolfsburg,” she said.