“Hubris”, “arrogance”, “certainties”. This is how, during the fall, we speak of Volkswagen, in Wolfsburg, this city created especially to accommodate the first factories and employees of the famous German manufacturer, in 1938, between Berlin and Hanover, in the Land of Lower Saxony (north-west). This city of 126,000 inhabitants, unique in its kind, still houses the largest automobile factory in the world, on which it depends almost entirely since half of the population works there. To the point that Wolfsburg is sometimes nicknamed “Autostadt”“the city of the car”.
With its four immense red brick chimneys proudly overlooking the Mittelkanal, its thousands of vehicles lined up in the parking lot, its museums, its streets and its merchandise shops bearing the blue “VW” badge, the site has for the moment been preserved closures and layoffs planned at other factories across the country. Wolfsburg remains the most prosperous city in Germany, the one where wages are the highest in the country: 46 euros per hour on average. A showcase of “made in Germany”, this label synonymous with manufacturing quality and good salaries. But the worry is palpable.
The manufacturer, Germany's largest industrial employer, missed the turning point for electric cars and plans to close three factories across the Rhine, a first in its history. “This crisis is much more serious than the previous ones”deplores Dennis (who did not wish to give his name), a 50-year-old worker, half of whom worked in the factory, who smokes brown cigarettes at the counter of the Bar du Tunnel, before taking his shift. “We've been making combustion vehicles for over a hundred years, but suddenly it's over. »
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“Damaged symbol”
All workers know: it’s not just about the factory. Volkswagen is a « Miniature Germany, describes Dirk Wagner, the chaplain of Wolfsburg, which receives the manufacturer's employees. It is the symbol of the economic miracle of post-war Germany.. And his dreams of power and grandeur, of yesterday and today. “Volkswagen is a substitute identity for Germans, explains sociologist Stephan Grünewald, director of the Rheingold opinion institute. After the war, we looked for national symbols to celebrate: the Deutsche Mark, the national football team and Volkswagen. It is frightening for German society that such a symbol is damaged. »
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