Okay, saying Volkswagen may go bankrupt is an exaggeration. But it’s certain that the German auto group faces one of the deepest crises in its history: for the first time, it’s considering closing plants in Germany. And while the group’s stability is in question, what is management in Wolfsburg worried about? Presenting a fabric developed from hemp that imitates leather.
The moment Volkswagen may go bankrupt
With regards to Volkswagen’s crisis, one can mention the most significant numbers reported by the press. The brand never recovered its pre-Covid sales levels: compared to 2019, in fact, it sells 500,000 less cars a year. In 2023, it sold 9 million cars, with a production capacity of 14 million. To counter the drop in sales, pending possible government incentives, the board is considering cuts and closures. But unions, co-managers of the companies in Germany, are on the warpath and do not want a union agreement that protects employment numbers until 2029 to be disregarded. “The board of directors has failed”, they stated.
Electric, and hides
The board failed, to make a long story short, to govern the transition to electric vehicles because it did not focus on hybrids. And now Volkswagen is between the anvil of a shrinking market (also besieged by the Chinese) and the hammer of European regulations, notes the Phastidio blog. And what does the press office do while such a storm rages? It makes statements over a “leather-free,” recycled material and blah blah blah to replace leather in car interiors. Ah…
The smoke in the eyes
We could say more. That the obsession with electric cars being vegan is a thing of the West: in China they outfit them in leather. That the equivalence of “leather replacement” and “sustainability” is all to be proven: so far, indeed, studies say otherwise. But it’s a feeling we’ve had before, during fashion weeks and with brands: sometimes marketing statements winking to the vegan universe are nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Problems, even serious ones, are elsewhere, but a splash of greenwashing helps entertaining the public with less risky and “touchy” topics.
Shutterstock photo
Read also:
- China’s electric car boom is in the hides: lucky them
- SlashGear slams Tesla’s veg leather: “An oxymoron, it’s plastic”
- Prada and Ferragamo: “Leather is green” (for those wishing to understand)
