Volkswagen Again Cuts Annual Outlook

Volkswagen has cut its annual outlook for the second time in less than three months, citing a weaker-than-expected performance at its passenger car division as pressure on Europe’s top automaker continues to rise.

The lowered outlook is the latest from Germany’s car giants, with Mercedes-Benz and BMW both downgrading their annual forecasts earlier this month as a result of weakening demand in China, the world’s biggest car market.

It also comes two days after Volkswagen kicked off crucial talks with IG Metall, Germany’s most powerful union, over pay and job protection, a historic conflict that could lead to the first German factory closures in the carmaker’s history.

Volkswagen now expects a profit margin of around 5.6% in 2024, down from 6.5-7% previously and below the 6.5% LSEG estimate, while sales are expected to fall by 0.7% to 320 billion euros ($356.7 billion) after the company had initially expected an increase of up to 5%.

Reuters/Hauwa Abu