Future Laboratory for Mobility: VW to Close Design Center in Potsdam

The car manufacturer Volkswagen plans to close its Design Center in Potsdam. "The function of the center as a future lab for new technologies - for example, around electromobility and the associated new customer ecosystem - has gradually been integrated into the regular innovation processes of the brands of the Volkswagen Group," a spokesperson for Volkswagen Group Services said on Wednesday. "The operational business of the Volkswagen Group Future Center Europe will therefore be discontinued at the end of 2024." According to information from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, about 100 employees are affected. Volkswagen Group Services did not want to comment on the upcoming talks with employee representatives before they are concluded, the spokesperson said. All activities within the Volkswagen Group are being reviewed. The originally intended role of the Volkswagen Group Future Center Europe GmbH as a future lab for vehicle design and the digital user experience around the company's vehicles has now been incorporated into the series development of the group's brands.

Union protest planned

The IG Metall union announced a protest rally for next Monday. The center in Potsdam is, alongside the center in Wolfsburg, the second of its kind in the car group. Research vehicles as well as future visions and prototypes are developed there. "We expect the group to quickly address the employees and initiate a discussion about a changed course," the union said.