Volkswagen: VW stops “Gamechanger” production project: What’s really behind it

The car company is foregoing the planned large-scale casting center in Wolfsburg for cost reasons. The savings are apparently related to Audi's billion-dollar investment in the USA.

Dusseldorf. Next week, the groundbreaking ceremony for a new large-scale casting hall was supposed to take place in Wolfsburg at the headquarters of Volkswagen (VW). Now it won't be built at all.

The car company confirmed on Wednesday that the group is abandoning its production concept called “Gamechanger” in the form previously planned. “Against the background of the company’s tense economic situation, all investments are currently being put to the test,” explained a spokesman. This includes abandoning the large-scale casting center in Wolfsburg.

According to Handelsblatt information, there is also an invoice behind the stop that is created several thousand kilometers away. People familiar with the events link the cuts in Wolfsburg to Audi's planned US plant in Georgia.

According to recent calculations, the hoped-for customs relief with which the group wanted to economically secure the investment will be significantly lower than expected. This increases the pressure to free up money elsewhere.

According to information from corporate circles, the large casting center alone would have cost a three-digit million amount. The “Gamechanger” overall involves several hundred million euros in investments.