Volkswagen’s EVs use components made in Ukraine
The affected models are made in Zwickau and Dresden
Production should resume after a few days
Volkswagen announced production of some of its electric models will be stopped momentarily due to issue with the supply of components made in Ukraine.
The current situation involving the eastern-European country means that parts and components made there cannot be delivered to the automaker’s factories in Germany.
This affects the production of some of the company’s electric vehicles based on the MEB platform, namely the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, as well as the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback, in addition to the Cupra Born.
Of these, only the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Audi Q4 e-tron / Q4 e-tron Sportback are sold in North America.
These models use electrical cable harnesses made in Ukraine, among other components, and the shortage of this element means production can’t continue normally.
The Zwickau factory is the company’s largest facility in the world and it makes all of the affected models. The Dresden plant builds small numbers of the ID.3 subcompact electric hatchback.
The first factory, which has a normal EV production capacity of 1,200 units daily, will be closed from Tuesday to Friday, while the smaller facility will be stopped three days, from Wednesday to Friday.
In addition to needing components made in Ukraine, the automaker has another problem on its hands due to the current crisis. Indeed, Volkswagen operates a factory in Kaluga, Russia, which is now being hit with the economic sanctions imposed to the country by NATO, which means that it is currently not economically viable to export vehicles or even parts made in this factory.
This will not help the automaker recover from the effects of the pandemic, which caused its production at the main Wolfsburg plant in 2021 to fall to its lowest point since 1958.
