VW probably wants to increase EV production in Emden

First, a cutback in EV production, then a hiring freeze, and later, a lack of electric motors—for a long time, most news about the VW plant in Emden, Germany, was negative. But now confidence is growing, and VW wants to build 50,000 more electric cars there in 2025 than this year.

As the German Nordwest-Zeitung reports, citing company information, the carmaker will build only electric cars in Emden from next year after the Arteon is phased out, with half of the volume being accounted for by the ID.4 and half by the ID.7. Accordingly, 190,000 electric cars will be built in Emden in 2025, while VW expects 140,000 units to be built this year. Plant manager Uwe Schwartz allegedly said this last week.

However, these are preliminary plans. According to the report, “the targeted figures for next year will be negotiated” in Wolfsburg this week. The workforce will then be informed at a works meeting in early September. As the incoming orders are “positive,” it could actually result in higher production – as the ID.7 is only built in Emden. For the second electric model from East Frisia, the ID.4, changing demand could also be met from Zwickau.

The ID.7 Tourer, in particular, is in high demand just a few weeks after its market launch. “The current demand for these models is in line with our forecasts and expectations,” plant spokesman Wolfgang Sebastian explained to the NWZ newspaper. In addition, the new ID.7 and ID.7 Tourer launches have been “successfully completed.” The ramp-up was disrupted by the lack of APP550 electric motors, which VW Group Components manufactures in Kassel – and which are required in both the ID.7 and the ID.4. You can read a driving report on the ID.4 with the new motor here.

Theoretically, VW can build up to 250,000 cars per year in the plant, albeit in round-the-clock operation with night shifts. According to Schwartz, 190,000 vehicles would mean the current two-shift model would be fully utilised. Currently, 100 ID.7 saloons, 300 ID.7 Tourers and 400 ID.4s are built in northern Germany every day. Demand is increasing, particularly for the electric estate, which VW deliberately does not market as a variant. “If you order an ID.7 Tourer today, you won’t get it until next year,” plant manager Schwartz is quoted as saying.

The ID.7 started as a promising model, as VW had relocated production of the plant’s bestseller, the Passat, to Bratislava with the 2023 generation change. The ID.7 was intended to fill this gap, which the saloon initially failed to do: even before the symbolic start of production in August 2023, VW had to temporarily cancel the late shift of electric car production in Emden, and the plant holidays were also extended – due to a lack of demand. With the ID.7 Tourer as an important company car model, the situation is changing, and capacity utilisation is increasing. It must be mentioned that demand for the Passat estate was also much higher, and the Passat saloon was only built at a comparable level to the ID.7 saloon (100 vehicles per day). In the Passat, VW even cancelled the saloon altogether with the aforementioned generation change; the ninth Passat is now only available as an estate.

The workforce in Emden is therefore waiting for the talks in Wolfsburg, but can be confident given the increasing demand. After Zwickau, Emden will become the second all-electric car plant in 2025. That is because the production of the Arteon Shooting Brake is scheduled to end at the turn of the year. However, with 40 units a day, the last combustion model from Emden only made up a small part of production anyway.

nwzonline.de (in German, paywall)