Thousands of workers protested on Wednesday (July 29) at the Neckarsulm plant of Audi, a Volkswagen brand. Audi's Neckarsulm plant in south-west Germany is one of four German plants belonging to Volkswagen threatened with possible closure after 2030, as the group battles high costs, rising competition from China and tariff headwinds.

"The employees have shown loudly and emphatically that they are going to fight for this site. That’s half the battle," said Barbara Resch, a representative of the German metalworkers' union IG Metall. "Then there’s the fact that this site is well-positioned. They’ve worked on labour costs and productivity; and they are also engaged with AI in connection with the IPAI system. So, given the fundamental conditions, I simply don’t understand why they are closing this plant."

Protesting workers said they wanted certainty for their future. "Everyone is worried about their job and our plant—a place into which we’ve poured our heart and soul. We want it to survive; we want our jobs to remain secure," said Audi worker Anton Sale.

Neckarsulm currently operates at an annual production capacity of 225,000, around 75,000 below previous years. The company has also agreed to cut the ‌night ⁠shift at the site, which produces exclusively combustion-engine cars.

Volkswagen and other German car manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz MBG have already struck agreements to cut tens of thousands of workers, as Germany's automotive sector comes under pressure from the costly shift to electric vehicles, intense competition from China and U.S. tariffs.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

German Audi workers protest potential job cuts

VIDEO SHOWS: AUDI WORKERS PROTEST AT FACTORY IN NECKARSULM AGAINST POTENTIAL REDUNDANCIES / INTERVIEWS WITH CHAIR OF WORKS COUNCIL AUDI NECKARSULM, ALEXANDER REINHART, AUDI WORKER MELIH CEVLIC, FRANK WOJKO AND ANTON SALE, MAYOR OF NECKARSULM, STEFFEN HERTWIG, AND DISTRICT MANAGER OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNION OF METALWORKERS (IG METALL) BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG, BARBARA RESCH

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: NECKARSULM, GERMANY (JULY 29, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF CHANTING PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH BANNERS

2. PROTESTERS ON BUILDING WITH BANNERS (German) "READY TO STRIKE" AND "WITHOUT A STRIKE NOTHING WILL CHANGE"

3. PROTESTERS CHANTING (German) "AUDI DEPRESSION"

4. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CLAPPING AND MAKING NOISE

5. CHAIR OF WORKS COUNCIL AUDI NECKARSULM, ALEXANDER REINHART, ON STAGE

6. PROTESTERS CHANTING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHAIR OF WORKS COUNCIL AUDI NECKARSULM, ALEXANDER REINHART, SAYING:

"The 6,000 of us here are sending a message—loud, clear, and unmistakable. And the message is: We are standing firm for our site."

8. PROTESTERS WITH BANNER (German) "MANY CAN BUILD CARS - WE DEVELOP THE FUTURE"

9. (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHAIR OF WORKS COUNCIL AUDI NECKARSULM, ALEXANDER REINHART, SAYING (ENDS ON PROTESTERS CLAPPING):

"And that is precisely why we will not allow decisions about our future to be frivolously made—or negotiated."

10. PROTESTERS WITH BANNER (German) "FIGHTING TOGETHER FOR OUR FUTURE"

11. PROTESTERS WITH BANNER (German) "AUDI NECKARSULM HAS TO STAY"

12. (SOUNDBITE) (German) AUDI WORKER, MELIH CEVLIC, SAYING:

"The mood of the employees is one of uncertainty; employees are hoping for certainty. People come to work worried. Many families are concerned about what happens next. We absolutely need clarity regarding our future—as an apprentice, I need clarity and to know what lies ahead for me."

13. (SOUNDBITE) (German) AUDI WORKER, FRANK WOJKO, SAYING:

"Why are we here today? Because we fear the plants might close, putting our future at risk. We want to stay in these plants. We want Audi to endure. We don't want the plants to close, that's why we are here, that's why we are protesting, that's why we are fighting for our future."

14. (SOUNDBITE) (German) AUDI WORKER, ANTON SALE, SAYING:

"Clarity. Everyone is worried about their job and our plant—a place into which we’ve poured our heart and soul. We want it to survive; we want our jobs to remain secure. We want our families to be able to live and for us to earn a living. That is what we want."

15. PROTESTERS CHANTING (German) "WITHOUT A STRIKE NOTHING WILL CHANGE"

16. PROTESTERS WITH BANNER (German) "WITHOUT A STRIKE NOTHING WILL CHANGE" WHILE CHANTING (German) "RESISTANCE"

17. (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHAIR OF WORKS COUNCIL AUDI NECKARSULM, ALEXANDER REINHART, SAYING:

"We have the most modern paint shop in the VW Group and a state-of-the-art assembly hall. We have technical development capabilities—including high-altitude climate testing—that are truly exceptional within the Group where you can test things you cannot test anywhere else in the Group. We have new test rigs, though there are certainly organizational challenges to address. Crucially, we have a team here that is convinced, flexible, and deeply committed; they fight for this site, for Audi, and for the brand."

18. PROTESTERS CHANTING

19. (SOUNDBITE) (German) CHAIR OF WORKS COUNCIL AUDI NECKARSULM, ALEXANDER REINHART, SAYING:

"I think we need to fundamentally rethink the cost targets. Deriving them purely through operational arithmetic makes little sense. But if you take the time to look at the factories and the people—and approach the matter with common sense—there are certainly realistic targets. Yet there are also targets that simply aren't realistic."

20. (SOUNDBITE) (German) MAYOR OF NECKARSULM, STEFFEN HERTWIG, SAYING:

"It would be a disaster; as I’ve said many times, this site is of enormous importance to the city of Neckarsulm. But it goes far beyond that—impacting the district and the entire region. I would even say the repercussions would be felt across (the German state of) Baden-Wuerttemberg. We aren't just talking about—in quotes—15,000 jobs and the families depending on them; we are talking about far more jobs that would ultimately be at risk if the site were actually to close."

21. PROTESTERS WITH BANNERS AND FLAGS WITH LOGO OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNION OF METALWORKERS (IG METALL)

22. (SOUNDBITE) (German) DISTRICT MANAGER OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNION OF METALWORKERS (IG METALL) BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG, BARBARA RESCH, SAYING:

"First of all, the opportunity is the workforce here. Today, the employees have shown loudly and emphatically that they are going to fight for this site. That’s half the battle. Then there’s the fact that this site is well-positioned. They’ve worked on labour costs and productivity; and—as you heard in the speeches today—they are also engaged with AI in connection with the IPAI system. So, given the fundamental conditions, I simply don’t understand why they are closing this plant."

23. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MAKING NOISE

24. (SOUNDBITE) (German) DISTRICT MANAGER OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNION OF METALWORKERS (IG METALL) BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG, BARBARA RESCH, SAYING:

"It depends, VW’s next supervisory board meeting is scheduled for early September. Up to now, we’ve really only learned about all this from the media—from the newspapers. I find that appalling—especially regarding the colleagues who have to read about their future, or the bleak outlook for it, in the papers. It now depends to some extent on how the employer reacts and whether they are willing to work with us to find solutions at the negotiating table."

25. PROTESTERS WITH BANNERS CHANTING