VW restarts MEB production in Zwickau

Production of the MEB models at the VW plant in Zwickau has started again – a few days earlier than planned. Production of the MEB SUV Skoda Enyaq in the Czech Republic, on the other hand, will be paused for a little longer, which will also affect the order availability of some variants.

Volkswagen had originally said that the production lines would not be restarted until the beginning of April. Now, this is the case almost a week earlier, with a two-shift operation planned. They said that the supply situation for components had “improved in the short term”. In Dresden, ID.3 production is scheduled to restart on Wednesday, 30 March.

“The aim is to deliver customer vehicles as quickly as possible,” a VW spokesperson said. It is not known whether certain models will be prioritised.

After the outbreak of the Ukraine war, production in Zwickau and Dresden had to be stopped very early because cable harnesses from the Leoni plant in western Ukraine could no longer be delivered. The production interruption also affects the market launch of the ID.5, which VW had postponed last week.

While ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, Audi Q4 e-tron (and Sportback) as well as the Cupra Born are being built again, the assembly lines at Skoda’s main plant in Mlada Boleslav continue to stand still. Production of the Skoda Enyaq iV there is expected to resume “in the course of the coming weeks”. This will have an impact on availability – at least in Germany. According to Skoda Auto Deutschland, order availability here will be “restricted shortly and temporarily”. Specifically affected are the two variants with a smaller battery, the Enyaq iV 50 and 60, as well as the all-wheel drive model with a large battery, the 80x. The Enyaq iV 80, the best-selling model, and the Enyaq Coupé can still be ordered without restrictions. It is not known how long the pause in ordering will last for the three variants.

In the case of the plug-in hybrids, Skoda is suspending the orderability of the Octavia iV in Germany until further notice. The Superb iV can be ordered up to and including 30 March and will then be suspended until further notice. At Volkswagen and Audi, the plug-in hybrids have already not been available for order since mid-March. At Skoda, the step had also been in the offing; according to earlier reports, an Octavia iV ordered today would not be delivered until August 2023.

kfz-betrieb.vogel.de, automobilwoche.de (both in German)