logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
20m 13s

Why Volkswagen hit the skids

Financial Times
About this episode

Volkswagen is facing a crisis. Often considered a symbol of Germany’s industrial power, it’s now reckoning with a difficult transition to electric vehicles, among other issues. And now, management is considering breaking a long-held taboo: closing German factories. Patricia Nilsson, the FT’s Frankfurt correspondent, heads to VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg to examine the fallout and what’s next.    


Clips from Bloomberg, DW News, CNN


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


For further reading:

For European carmakers, EVs are a Catch-22

Why Volkswagen is seeking to break the taboo of closing German plants

VW audit of Xinjiang plant failed to meet international standards


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


On X, follow Patricia Nilsson (@patricianilsson) and Michela Tindera (@mtindera07), or follow Michela on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. 


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 9
A case of Schrödinger’s tariffs
It’s been exactly 90 days since US President Donald Trump paused most of his ‘reciprocal’ tariffs. With just a 10 per cent blanket tariff on all imports and a higher tariff on China, economists predicted the American economy would feel the heat pretty quickly. But the sky hasn’t ... Show More
19m 49s
Jul 2
How oil traders called the Middle East war
When Iran attacked a US airbase in Qatar – a response to strikes on its nuclear facilities – many feared a global war may be imminent. But there was one market that didn’t break a sweat: oil. It’s typically a commodity that surges at the first sight of conflict in the Middle East ... Show More
19m 14s
Jun 25
The end of the UK’s ‘bailout era’
The Royal Bank of Scotland was once the biggest bank in the world. Then, hubris got the best of it. During the financial crisis the UK government spent £46bn to bail out the bank. Seventeen years and a rebrand to NatWest Group later, the government just sold its last shares in it ... Show More
16m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
Is Europe’s car industry at a crossroads?
The car industry across the European Union employs over thirteen million people, both directly and indirectly, that’s around six percent of the bloc’s workforce. But in recent years, Europe’s manufacturers have been struggling to cope with issues like economic downturns, clean en ... Show More
22m 58s
Oct 2024
Georgia’s pro-Russia party retains power and Volkswagen shuts down three factories in Germany
We discuss the latest from Georgia, as the ruling pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claims victory in the weekend’s contested elections. Also on the programme: German car manufacturer Volkswagen closes production plants in its home country for the first time in 87 years as a result ... Show More
39m 21s
Sep 2024
Volkswagen’s dire warning
Volkswagen calls for drastic measures to bolster profits, and President Joe Biden wants to block a Japanese company’s acquisition of US Steel. Plus, damning findings about the Grenfell Tower fire surface, and Egypt’s journey from gas bonanza to power blackouts  Mentioned in this ... Show More
11m 56s
Feb 2025
Can Germany’s next chancellor help Europe deal with Trump?
Germany has voted, and Friedrich Merz is now the chancellor-in-waiting. But can he rise to the occasion? With Donald Trump signaling a retreat from Europe and cozying up to Vladimir Putin, the continent faces its biggest security challenge in decades. Will Merz shake off Germany’ ... Show More
41m 6s
Sep 2024
Abu Dhabi bids for Germany’s industrial jewel
Investors snapped up consumer staples such as Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive amid concerns over a potential slowdown in the US economy. Abu Dhabi’s oil company Adnoc could offer €14.4bn for German chemical group Covestro, and the European Central Bank cut interest rates to 3.5 p ... Show More
12m 39s
Oct 2024
What is new in the auto industry?
Theo Leggett reports on the latest trends and concerns preoccupying the automobile industry at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers have established that they can manufacture vehicles more cheaply than their European counterparts, and now they are ... Show More
17m 39s
May 9
A new chapter in German politics
As of May 6th, Germany has a new government, led by the CDU’s Friedrich Merz in coalition with the CSU and SPD. Despite a last-minute hitch, Merz is now safely installed in the Bundeskanzleramt in Berlin, from where he immediately jetted off to Paris and Warsaw for high-level pol ... Show More
32m 17s
Sep 2024
Olympian death, Georgia shooting, Canada’s border, VW closures and ‘safe AI’
Ugandan marathon runner and Paris Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set on fire in a weekend attack. A 14-year-old Georgia high school student kills four and injures nine in campus shooting. Canada has been rejecting visa applications and turning away visitors in a bord ... Show More
12m 54s
Feb 2025
Pourquoi l’industrie automobile roule au ralenti en Europe
En 2024, tous les voyants étaient au rouge pour le secteur automobile européen. La France a vu les ventes de ses voitures neuves reculer de 3,2 % par rapport à 2023, tandis que les immatriculations ont chuté de 27,4 % en Allemagne, pourtant le premier marché européen. La forte ba ... Show More
13m 42s
Oct 2024
Voitures électriques : pourquoi les constructeurs français s’inquiètent
Depuis le début d’année 2024, les ventes de véhicules électriques enregistrent une baisse de 6% en France, dans un contexte de baisse globale des ventes de voitures. Or, à partir de 2035, les voitures neuves à essence ou gazole seront interdites à la vente, conformément à une déc ... Show More
18m 3s