IG Metall urges low-cost electric cars from Germany

Due to weak demand for e-cars and competition from Chinese manufacturers, the IG Metall trade union is pressing for cheaper models from Germany. "Eastern Germany has worked hard to gain a lead in the production of electric vehicles in national and international comparisons," explained union head Jörg Hofmann before an automotive conference in Zwickau on Wednesday. "It is important to maintain this." To do this, he said, there needs to be a faster expansion of the charging infrastructure and inexpensive charging power for e-cars. On the other hand, the manufacturers would have to offer models that even an average wage earner could afford.

At the conference in Zwickau, the focus is to be on the state of the industry between the drive turnaround, circular economy and shortage of skilled workers. Recently, Volkswagen had made headlines with the announcement of job cuts at its Zwickau e-car factory. Due to weak demand, almost 270 employees with temporary contracts will have to leave, and many of the other 2,000 or so temporary employees are now fearing for their jobs. Volkswagen also plans to cut production there in October and shut down an entire production line for at least two weeks. More than 10,000 people work at the site.

"The reduction in employment in Zwickau should be a wake-up call for all those who dream of continuing in this way," warned the head of the Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony IG Metall district, Dirk Schulze. "Automobile manufacturers and suppliers must drive the mobility turnaround faster by investing in lightweight construction, software and digital." And they would have to quickly launch cost-effective e-models to compete with China in particular.

Schulze sees eastern Germany as a leading location for electromobility. To this end, he pointed to production facilities of Volkswagen, Tesla, BMW and Porsche, as well as several battery manufacturers. "We must not jeopardize this upswing in the east now."