WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - VW Works Council Chair Daniela Cavallo has called on the Group's executive board to keep subsidiaries such as Audi and Porsche AG on a shorter leash. "Wolfsburg must once again become the central hub for the entire Group network," she said at the staff meeting in Wolfsburg, according to excerpts from her speech manuscript obtained by dpa. "We simply can no longer afford for individual brands to go it alone," Cavallo said.

"At the moment, it's often a complete mess," she criticized. "There is a lack of discipline!" She called on the Group leadership under Oliver Blume to lay down the law "to rein in brand egotism." Only then, she argued, could synergies within the Group be realized. "We need shared goals." This, she said, requires clear directives and the necessary authority from the Group executive board.

VW Offers Preview of Golf 9

For the first time, the silhouette of the future electric Golf 9 was shown at the staff meeting—a black-and-white outline displayed on the big screen. The side profile looks almost identical to the current Golf 8. VW plans to move production of the current model to Mexico in 2027 to make room in Wolfsburg for the conversion to electric models. By the end of the decade, the fully electric successor is set to roll off the assembly line at the main plant. Thus, Cavallo said, the Golf will remain a Wolfsburg product even in its ninth generation.

According to Cavallo, there is still no decision regarding the recognition bonus she has demanded for all VW employees covered by collective agreements. The board will only decide on this after the works council election—scheduled for next week—she said. The background to the demand is the unexpectedly strong cash position the Group reported in January. Cavallo subsequently called for employees to share in the six billion euro cash flow.

In addition to Cavallo, VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer also addressed the workforce. Group CEO Oliver Blume, who was not originally on the speakers' list, also made a brief statement to employees./fjo/DP/stw