As of: February 26, 2024, 9:15 p.m
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Daniela Cavallo, Chairwoman of the General and Group Works Council of Volkswagen AG.
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
VW works council boss Daniela Cavallo is calling on the federal government to provide more support for the ramp-up of electromobility.
“Politicians must also support this, not just make guidelines that are correct,” said Cavallo at the dpa editor-in-chief conference on Monday in Berlin.
Otherwise, the goal of having 15 million electric cars on the road in Germany by 2030 can hardly be achieved.
Berlin - “This is a huge challenge and requires that the plan be gradually developed further.” But she doesn’t see that at the moment.
The short-term end of e-car funding last year did not help here, nor did discussions about openness to technology.
This only creates new uncertainty, criticized Cavallo.
Companies need planning security in order to be able to switch to electric.
She therefore considers moving away from the planned phase-out of combustion engines in 2035 to be wrong.
“That would be fatal.
I see it critically when there is now discussion that the plan should perhaps be watered down.”
With regard to his own brand, Cavallo admitted that there is still a lack of an affordable entry-level electric model.
“In my opinion, we absolutely need a vehicle under 20,000 euros,” she said.
“Volkswagen is a company that should offer broad mobility.
And in this respect we are missing this in our portfolio and it is also absolutely necessary.” However, it will take “a few more years” until such a vehicle comes, said the works council boss.
VW has announced an electric model for 2026 for under 25,000.
The brand has not yet given a date for a model under 20,000 euros, which is also being worked on.
Cavallo was also dissatisfied with the still low proportion of women in upper management.
“We have to work on that,” said Cavallo, who is herself the first woman to head the group works council.
“But it’s a long road.” IT director Hauke Stars is currently the only woman on the group’s board.
Cavallo admitted that it would probably be a long time before there could even be a female CEO.
“I don’t know if I’ll live to see that.” dpa