VW brand executive Thomas Schäfer (right) with VW CEO Oliver Blume picture alliance/dpa | Julian Stratenschulte
Rarely has a board member of a DAX company spoken as mercilessly as Thomas Schäfer about his own company: According to research by Business Insider, the head of the Wolfsburg core brand Volkswagen Passenger Cars recently spoke to the car manufacturer’s employees at a confidential event about the current status and informs the future of Volkswagen. His findings: VW is facing by far the most difficult phase in its recent company history.
The background is new details of the performance program, with which the company wants to act faster, more powerfully and more cost-effectively. You shouldn’t “waste any time,” warned Schäfer. “We have to try with all our might to position ourselves for the future, there is no pause here,” the manager continued. “There is no all-clear going forward, on the contrary.”
The 60-minute live broadcast of the conversation with Schäfer, moderated by Jesko Giessen from VW’s internal communications, was entitled “Let’s talk”. According to the format, plain language was spoken, which amazed employees. “I often couldn’t believe my ears, many of Schäfer’s messages were so explosive and worrying,” said a manager in an interview with Business Insider. An eyewitness from “Let’s Talk” explained: “Although Thomas appeared confident as usual, the seriousness of the situation was still evident in his face.” VW employees could send him their personal concerns using the chat function.
The editorial team spoke to a number of VW executives about their perception of Schäfer’s incendiary speech and evaluated recordings. Because the material is very extensive, we document it in two parts. We will publish the second part, including Schäfer’s statements on so-called e-fuels for new cars, in the next few days.