Volkswagen launches extra shifts at Wolfsburg plant - brand board member

HAMBURG (Reuters) - Volkswagen has introduced extra shifts at its factory in Wolfsburg, the carmaker's biggest, after supply chain disruptions in the wake of the Ukraine war and global chip shortage have eased, a senior executive said.

Imelda Labbe, who is part of the management board of the Volkswagen brand, said in an internal interview seen by Reuters that Volkwagen's German plants were significantly better utilised than in 2022.

"Our production network in Germany was hit particularly hard by the consequences of the corona pandemic, the global chip crisis and the Ukraine war," Labbe said. "The situation has eased substantially."

This also includes the carmaker's plant in Wolfsburg, where Volkswagen is based, Labbe said, adding that the site could only produce 400,000 car, or half its annual capacity, in 2022.

"That's over now," Labbe said.

Instead, Volkswagen had to introduce extra shifts from May to meet production targets, Labbe said, adding this has positively impacted delivery schedules, which have come down to around 3 months in Europe for its fully electric ID models.

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Friederike Heine and Miranda Murray)