VW Group | Cavallo: Audi boss's appearance at Trump is shameful

Daniela Cavallo, Chairwoman of the General and Group Works Council of Volkswagen AG Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa Wolfsburg.  VW Group works council head Daniela Cavallo sharply criticized Audi boss Gernot Döllner's appearance at a campaign event for US President Donald Trump. "Several minutes full of racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, contempt for democracy - and then one of our top company representatives comes on stage and actively helps the election campaign," said Cavallo in an internal interview that was available to the German Press Agency. Anyone who heard Trump's speech and saw that Döllner had become an active part of this event must "sink into the ground with shame."

Cavallo also didn't shy away from criticizing the entire VW Group board around boss Oliver Blume. He allowed himself to be "made into a puppet in his propaganda show by a highly dubious political figure who violates pretty much all of our corporate values," she said. The fact that the first comparisons to VW history were immediately drawn speaks for itself. It's playing with fire. Volkswagen was founded during the Nazi era and served as a model company for Adolf Hitler's regime.

On Saturday, Trump surprisingly announced the construction of an Audi factory in Perry, Georgia. Döllner then went on stage and thanked the US President for his support. The head of the VW subsidiary is also a member of the Wolfsburg board of directors. There, Döllner is responsible for the Progressive brand group, which, in addition to Audi, also includes the luxury brands Bentley and Lamborghini as well as the motorcycle manufacturer Ducati.

The Ingolstadt-based company wants to produce 200,000 sports off-road vehicles (SUVs) in Georgia every year. Investments totaling four billion dollars (around 3.6 billion euros) are planned, and 4,500 jobs are to be created. Audi says construction will begin in 2027, with production starting in the early 2030s. It would be the VW premium subsidiary's first plant in the United States. 

According to Cavallo, the appearance also contradicts Audi's internal guidelines. In the last three months before elections, public appointments with politicians standing for election are prohibited. Döllner signed these principles just a few months ago. There is “certainly a clear violation” here. The US midterm elections take place on November 3rd.

The head of the VW works council takes a more sober view of the plans for an Audi plant in the USA. From a purely business perspective, this could make sense, said Cavallo. The US market is one of the largest and most lucrative in the world, but VW's market share there is still far too small. At the same time, the tariffs are high because of Trump and cost the company billions. There is much to be said for increased manufacturing in the United States. After Audi's announcement, there are still many questions unanswered - for example, whether there will be customs relief for the entire VW Group in return. It is also unclear how reliable such commitments would be beyond a possible change of government.

Internally, Cavallo sets clear conditions. For the employee side on the supervisory board, a new US factory - regardless of the brand - would only be an option if there was clarity about the effects on the other factories, especially in Germany. »Without an overall picture of the planning round with an overall view of all locations, we will not give the green light. Conversely, that means that a decision is still pending,” said Cavallo. It remains to be seen whether the option for the new building will ultimately be approved.  dpa/nd

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