The upheavals in the automotive industry will also be considerable from the point of view of the VW CEO - Herbert Diess, however, warns against a dramatization of the job consequences. "All the negative scenarios that are sometimes drawn are exaggerated," he said in an interview with the news agencies dpa and dpa-AFX. “We will remain a car manufacturer.” At the end of the decade, vehicle production will still be VW's core business, even though the cars have changed a lot and are driving with significantly lower CO2 emissions.
"In order to build many cars, you will still need a lot of people in production in 2030," says Diess. “And many will be doing pretty much the same job as they are today. Perhaps more automated, but it essentially remains production. ”That does not rule out that the simultaneous development of more IT skills entails major changes and extensive rethinking. "Of course we will grow in the software area with new employees," said the manager. “But unlike in fast-moving industries, change in the automotive industry takes a lot of time. Two model life cycles are 15 years for us. Tesla is here today - after 15 years of hard work. "
As a volume provider with economies of scale, the VW Group may have a little more time to adapt than others.
“But not too much either.
If we carry on well, we can safely save a large part of the jobs, grow in certain areas and shrink in others. "
While auto and supplier groups are pumping billions in investments, primarily in alternative drives and networking technology, the upheaval means that smaller suppliers need a lot more funding and training.
Diess is relatively confident that the change will be successful in many places: “Even 70 percent of suppliers are going through this transformation as if there weren't any.
Seats remain seats, steel remains steel, wheels remain wheels, brakes remain brakes. "
A lot is happening in the drive. "But here, too, the change is being overestimated because the drive is already not the most employee-intensive area," said Diess. "An engine has a production time of around one hour in our house, compared to 20 to 30 for a vehicle."
If workforces and customers are involved in the ecological and digital conversion, the car could still gain in importance.
Diess expects it to "lose many negative aspects".
“In a few years, you can drive around here in an SUV with a clear conscience.
There are critics who refer to the climate, but are actually against the car, against individual mobility.
But it loses a lot of its horror, it becomes much safer, it becomes more environmentally friendly. "
On the way there, however, there is a need for discussion.
A number of climate protectors are calling for the auto industry to switch off combustion engines more quickly, despite sharpened targets.
Trade unionists and politicians are particularly concerned about the future of jobs in small companies in the automotive regions of Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The new VW works council boss Daniela Cavallo recently warned that society must take the employment issue more seriously in order to prevent further political disappointment.
Accompanying the upheaval in cooperation with IG Metall, employers and manufacturers was also the subject of several “car summits” with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).
The world of work in the industry was also significantly changed by the pandemic.
He has often felt this himself in the past, said the VW CEO.
"For example, I'm responsible for China on the board, I haven't been there for a year and a half," said Diess.
"That is a dramatic disadvantage, I cannot really assess the situation there if you only talk to people on the phone and in the video conference."