Volkswagen strikes deal with Israel investment firm to turn car plant into defense facility

David Ebener/dpa/picture-alliance/AP

A Volkswagen car plant in northwestern Germany is to be converted to defense production, the company said Monday, as Europe’s biggest economy ramps up military spending amid a continent-wide push to rearm.

Volkswagen said in a statement that it had agreed to sell its Osnabrück car plant to the State of Lower Saxony and Aurelius Capital, an investment firm headquartered in Tel Aviv. The local government and Aurelius, which would be the majority owner, plan to work with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, one of the companies behind Israel’s Iron Dome.

“These plans involve the potential manufacture of systems and components for air defense systems for Germany and Europe,” Volkswagen said, adding that the cooperation was intended to “pave the way for further partnerships and projects.”

The deal will also preserve jobs at the site, where vehicle production is due to end next year, offering a blueprint for other Volkswagen factories at risk of closure. The automaker has warned that four German plants may need to shutter in the 2030s as it battles weak demand, rising costs and intense competition from China’s electric vehicle makers.

“With today’s agreement, we are taking an important step towards opening up a new industrial future for the site,” Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said.

The announcement comes just days after Volkswagen unveiled the most extensive restructuring in the group’s 89-year history as it fights to secure its future. The carmaker’s “Future Plan 2030” will halve its range of models and slash around 50,000 jobs, on top of the 50,000 workforce cuts previously announced.

At the same time, Europe is racing to rearm, with Germany leading the charge. The budget allocated to the country’s defense ministry is set to rise by a third next year, to €109.7 billion ($127 billion), from €82.7 billion ($96 billion) this year, according to government figures .

Rheinmetall, Europe’s biggest defense group, is among the companies repurposing vehicle factories to make military equipment, which could boost Germany’s manufacturing sector as it struggles to overcome several years of weakness.

Volkswagen decided in 2024 to phase out vehicle production at the Osnabrück site in summer 2027. This latest development could save nearly 1,400 of the site’s 1,800 jobs, according to a separate statement from VW’s works council, which represents employees.

“With this agreement, we are unlocking a genuine industrial opportunity for Osnabrück,” said Olaf Lies, Minister-President of the State of Lower Saxony. “The site boasts a highly-skilled workforce… At the same time, there has been a fundamental change in our security situation and our need for protection. Germany and Europe must strengthen their capabilities and become more independent.”

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and final agreement on the new organizational structure, Volkswagen said.

大卫·埃本纳/德新社/图片联盟/美联社

大众汽车公司周一表示，位于德国西北部的一家大众汽车工厂将转为国防生产，因为欧洲最大的经济体德国正在加大军费开支，以响应整个欧洲大陆的重新武装浪潮。

大众汽车在一份声明中表示，已同意将其位于奥斯纳布吕克的汽车工厂出售给下萨克森州政府和总部位于特拉维夫的投资公司奥雷利乌斯资本。下萨克森州政府和奥雷利乌斯资本（将成为控股股东）计划与以色列“铁穹”防御系统的开发商之一——拉斐尔先进防御系统公司合作。

大众汽车表示：“这些计划涉及为德国和欧洲制造防空系统的系统和组件”，并补充说，此次合作旨在“为进一步的合作和项目铺平道路”。

这项协议还将保住该工厂的就业岗位，该工厂的汽车生产将于明年停止，此举也将为其他面临关闭风险的大众汽车工厂提供借鉴。这家汽车制造商曾警告称，由于需求疲软、成本上升以及来自中国电动汽车制造商的激烈竞争，到2030年代，其四家德国工厂可能需要关闭。

“通过今天的协议，我们朝着为该地开辟新的工业未来迈出了重要一步，”大众汽车首席执行官奥利弗·布鲁姆表示。

就在大众汽车宣布其89年历史上规模最大的重组计划，以确保未来发展之际，该公司又发布了这项公告。这项名为“2030未来计划”的方案将使其车型阵容缩减一半，并裁减约5万个工作岗位，而此前已宣布的裁员5万人计划也将继续实施。

与此同时，欧洲正竞相重整军备，德国位居榜首。据政府数据显示，德国国防部的预算明年将增加三分之一，从今年的827亿欧元（960亿美元）增至1097亿欧元（1270亿美元）。

欧洲最大的国防集团莱茵金属公司是众多将汽车工厂改造为生产军用装备的公司之一，这可能会提振德国制造业，帮助其摆脱多年来的疲软局面。

大众汽车于 2024 年决定在 2027 年夏季逐步停止奥斯纳布吕克工厂的汽车生产。大众汽车员工代表委员会在另一份声明中表示，这一最新进展可能会挽救该工厂 1800 个工作岗位中的近 1400 个。

“这项协议为奥斯纳布吕克带来了真正的工业发展机遇，”下萨克森州州长奥拉夫·利斯表示，“该厂址拥有高技能的劳动力……与此同时，我们的安全形势和对安全的需求也发生了根本性的变化。德国和欧洲必须增强自身能力，变得更加独立自主。”

大众汽车表示，该交易仍需获得监管部门批准，并最终就新的组织架构达成一致。