An important European automobile manufacturer is reportedly in discussions with an Israeli company to produce trucks carrying missiles.
Oliver Blume, the CEO of Volkswagen, acknowledged on Friday that the group is in talks with defense industry professionals to repurpose its German factory in Osnabrück for the production of military transport equipment. In the defense sector, “we have not been active for decades and we have a significant catch-up to do, which is why this could be a solution for Osnabrück,” said the group’s CEO during a conference in Frankfurt.
By the end of 2024, Volkswagen had announced that the site in Lower Saxony, employing 2,300 people, would no longer produce vehicles from mid-2027 onwards for another use of the factory, as part of a massive cost-cutting plan to restore the group’s profitability.
The Osnabrück factory, however, would not produce “weapon systems,” clarified the Volkswagen CEO. Instead, it would focus on the production of military transport equipment because “that is where our expertise lies.”
Context: Volkswagen is considering repurposing its German factory for the production of military transport equipment.
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