Audi must secure jobs and production in Germany before building a factory in the US over President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the carmaker’s top labor official said.
“We are not refusing to discuss the matter, but for capacity reasons we do not see any need to build a plant in the US at present,” Schlagbauer, who also is Audi’s deputy board chairman, told Bloomberg in emailed comments. “If we need a plant in the US for political reasons, it cannot be at the expense of employees and capacity utilization in Germany.”
Trump’s trade moves and his push to curtail support for EVs are hitting Volkswagen’s premium brands at a difficult time. While Audi and Porsche AG are under pressure to move production to the US because they lack plants there, lower demand in China and muted sales in Europe mean their factories at home are running below capacity, and labor leaders are wary about giving up more output.
