Volkswagen ID.3 cars will be assembled also in Dresden (near the Zwickau factory) from late 2020 on.
Two weeks after starting production of the ID.3 in Zwickau, Volkswagen announced that its nearby small production facility and exhibition space – the Gläserne Manufaktur (or Transparent Factory) in Dresden, also will produce the ID.3.
Formerly, the Transparent Factory was used mainly for Volkswagen Phaeton and Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Since 2017, it was used temporarily to assemble the Volkswagen e-Golf, but the volumes of some 1,300 cars per year were just a small addition to the main e-Golf site in Wolfsburg.
The facility is in fact kind of a small final assembly line, as stamping, welding and painting of bodies is done in Zwickau. Dresden is responsible for putting together the pre-assembled components.
According to Volkswagen, production of the ID.3 in Dresden will start in fall 2020 and the volume will be “significantly” increased. We assume that the higher volume might be possible thanks to the simpler architecture of BEVs, but it’s hard to expect that it will be higher than a couple of thousand, possibly limited to just some certain version of the car.
“Currently, some 1,300 vehicles per year are handed over to customers in Germany. This number is to be significantly increased, thereby providing secure jobs for some 380 employees.”
Other models might be also added in the future:
“Following on from Zwickau, Dresden now becomes the second assembly plant in Germany for the ID.3. The first vehicles from the MEB family are scheduled to leave the assembly line in Dresden from fall 2020. The plant could possibly also assemble further models from the ID. family at a later point in time.”
It seems that the General Works Council and employees are excited about this. Jens Rothe, Chairman of the General Works Council at Volkswagen Sachsen, commented:
“The uncertainty following the end of Phaeton production is now over. The temporary assembly of the e-Golf means the team in Dresden is extremely well prepared for the future of e-mobility and well equipped for our ID. family. Capacity at the site is efficiently managed and jobs are secure. The General Works Council has always made a great effort to achieve this over the past years.”
The ID.3 to be assembled in the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden from fall 2020
- Volkswagen is stepping up the pace for e-mobility
- Manufaktur is being developed into a hotbed for innovation, new areas of employment are being intensified
- Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen AG Board Member for Human Resources: “The location in Saxony has a solid foundation for the future. Employment levels remain stable.”
Volkswagen continues to step up the pace of its electric offensive: The ID.31 will be assembled at the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden in addition to the Zwickau plant. This was announced today by Gunnar Killian, Volkswagen AG Board Member for Human Resources, at a works meeting in Dresden. The ID.3 is the first model in the latest generation that Volkswagen is putting on the road under its global electric offensive. The Gläserne Manufaktur is to evolve into a Center of Future Mobility where innovative technologies are developed and tested in collaboration with industry partners and startups. Efforts to pursue new areas of business such as the function testing station are to be intensified. Vehicle collection is to be significantly expanded, and the location is to be made even more attractive as a destination for visitors and customers.
Group Board Member, Gunnar Kilian, underscored: “The decision to bring the ID. family to Dresden lays a solid foundation for the future of this location in Saxony. Employment levels remain stable. And at the same time, we are stepping up the pace for e-mobility. We need the Manufaktur as an important showcase to take our customers on board for e-mobility and digitalization.”
The Manufaktur’s site manager, Lars Dittert, commented: “We are building one of Volkswagen’s models for the future with the ID.3 – that is great news for Dresden and Saxony. We will intensify our showcase function for e-mobility and forge ahead with technological developments at the Manufaktur.”
The Chairman of the Manufaktur’s Works Council, Thomas Aehlig, underscored: “Assembly of the ID.3 from fall 2020 is very good news for the team. We have thus safeguarded long-term employment for the core workforce and a positive future perspective for the location. Attention over the coming weeks must now turn to a comprehensive qualification program for the team.”
Jens Rothe, Chairman of the General Works Council at Volkswagen Sachsen, commented: “The uncertainty following the end of Phaeton production is now over. The temporary assembly of the e-Golf2 means the team in Dresden is extremely well prepared for the future of e-mobility and well equipped for our ID. family. Capacity at the site is efficiently managed and jobs are secure. The General Works Council has always made a great effort to achieve this over the past years.”
Following on from Zwickau, Dresden now becomes the second assembly plant in Germany for the ID.3. The first vehicles from the MEB family are scheduled to leave the assembly line in Dresden from fall 2020. The plant could possibly also assemble further models from the ID. family at a later point in time.
Moreover, in order to lay a solid foundation for the future of the Gläserne Manufaktur there are also plans to establish or expand new areas of business in the fields of vehicle collection, insourcing and vehicle function testing in the border tripoint of Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. In particular, the function of the location in Dresden as a vehicle collection point is to be expanded, with a specific focus on electric vehicles. Currently, some 1,300 vehicles per year are handed over to customers in Germany. This number is to be significantly increased, thereby providing secure jobs for some 380 employees.
Series production of the ID.3 in Zwickau began exactly two weeks ago at a ceremony attended by Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Group CEO Dr. Herbert Diess. The Group plans to launch up to 75 all-electric models and some 60 hybrid vehicles in the marketplace through 2029. The Volkswagen Group is aiming to sell some 26 million electric vehicles by 2029, thus helping e-vehicles make the breakthrough. The Group is to spend some €33 billion on e-mobility alone.
The Gläserne Manufaktur has been placed on a solid footing for the future in recent months with innovative areas of business such as the “Future Mobility Incubator” and “Future Mobility Campus”, expansion of vehicle collection, the testbed for Production 4.0 and the “Software Development Center Production”. This successful transformation is now being accelerated and intensified even further.