VW halts EV production in Germany as Ukraine crisis hits supplies

BERLIN — Volkswagen will halt production this week at two EV plants in Germany after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hit deliveries of components.

Production of VW, Audi and Cupra compact battery-electric cars built on the VW Group’s MEB platform will be affected.

The automaker will halt production at its Zwickau plant from Tuesday to Friday and at its factory in Dresden from Wednesday to Friday, a VW spokesman told Automotive News Europe by email.

“The Volkswagen Group’s global supplier network, which comprises more than 40,000 suppliers, also includes some suppliers in western Ukraine,” the statement said. “Due to the current situation in this region, there may be disruptions in the supply chain.”

Among other components, deliveries of electrical cable harnesses produced in Ukraine have come to a halt.
The Zwickau factory builds the VW ID3, VW ID4, VW ID5, Audi Q4 etron and Cupra Born electric cars. The Dresden factory also builds the ID3.

Zwickau is currently Volkswagen’s most important European EV production location.

Almost 1,200 electric cars of the various brands are normally manufactured in Zwickau a day, according to a report in German business newspaper Handelsblatt.

VW Group CEO Herbert Diess said on Friday that the automaker has created a task force to assess the possible consequences of the Ukraine crisis on the company.

The company is already dealing with the impact of semiconductor shortages on its production, especially at its home plant in Wolfsburg, which builds the VW Golf its best-selling model.

Last year, 330,000 fewer cars were built in Wolfsburg, the lowest figure since 1958.