There are moments when the yes or no of an East Frisian works council chairman is central to the future of the largest carmaker in the world. So it happened on November 7, 2018 in a meeting room of Wolfsburg VW headquarters. The top management, represented by CEO Herbert Diess (60) and its strategist Michael Jost (57), campaigned to build in the Emden factory from 2022 instead of the mid-size saloon Passat small electric cars. The man who could block this is called Manfred Wulff; He is short, slim, has a five-day beard and worked in Emden for seven and a half years in production.
Diess and Jost talked about climate goals, a social mission and the chance to build electricians for the masses. Wulff and his Wolfsburg boss Bernd Osterloh (62) referred to the consequences for the employees: For the construction of electric cars, it requires significantly fewer people.
Strategic turns rarely occur on a single day; and just as seldom do they depend on the decision of a single human being. But much of the revolution that is currently shaking up the VW world also shaped the discussions on 7 November. At the end, after pledges for the employees and the agreement to build small electric cars in Emden, Manfred Wulff said yes. He gave up the tried and tested to break into the unknown.
It is a bet that was placed that day, signed jointly by the board and works council.
CEO Diess puts everything on E; he switches a dozen vehicle plants from Verbrenner to Elektro (see graphic “Volkselektrowagen”); Within five years, the Group is investing a good € 30 billion in electromobility. As early as 2021, more than a million electric VW and Škoda, Audi and Porsche are to be sold, 2030 five to six million; In China, a new electronics brand is founded.