The Wolfsburg car manufacturer Volkswagen negotiates with the US Ministry of Trade on the settlement of the customs dispute and in return offers further investments in the USA to. “I was in Washington myself and we have been in regular exchange since then,” said CEO Oliver Blume (56) of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The Primary contact is the US Minister of Trade Howard Lutnick (63), “but ultimately the topics also go to the table of the US President”. Blume emphasized that he spoke there for the VW group, but he always has solutions that could generally be used.
Volkswagen wants to continue investing in the USA
The Volkswagen boss made it clear that in return for an agreement in the customs dispute, he was throwing further investments in the United States in the balance. “The Volkswagen Group wants to continue investing in the USA,” said Blume. VW already employs over 20,000 people directly in the United States, over 55,000 more indirectly, cars, school buses and trucks were built, and there is also a partnership with the US company Rivian. “We would build on it with further, massive investments. All of this should play a role in the decisions,” emphasized the manager. The principle must apply: If you invest in a country, you should benefit from better framework conditions.
The Reuters news agency had learned from insiders on Wednesday that Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes Benz talk to the US Ministry of Trade about possible customs reservations. It is about a mechanism in which imports would be offset against exports from the United States, three of the people familiar with the process had said. The German carmakers hoped for an agreement between the US government with the individual companies in June. It is about easier in customs in return for billion dollar investments in the United States.