BERLIN
Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said Friday that the German automaker is in talks with several defense companies, including missile defense specialists, about repurposing its Osnabruck plant to produce military vehicles.
Blume told an event organized by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper that Volkswagen supports the German government's and Europe's broader defense efforts. "We haven’t been active there for decades and have a lot of catching up to do," he said. "That’s why this could also be a solution for Osnabruck.”
The CEO emphasized that any Volkswagen involvement in the defense sector would focus on its core expertise in vehicle manufacturing. "To be very clear: the Volkswagen Group’s activities in the defense sector would primarily focus on military transport, as that is our core competence. We are not involved in weapons systems," Blume said.
The remarks follow reports that Volkswagen is considering a tie-up with Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to repurpose the Osnabruck plant, threatened with closure next year, for production linked to the Iron Dome air-defense system. The Financial Times reported that the facility would make non-missile items such as heavy-duty transport vehicles, launchers, and power generators.
The reports have drawn criticism from peace activists and opposition politicians. The Osnabruck Peace Initiative (OFRI) urged Volkswagen to abandon any deal with defense companies and keep the site focused on civilian production.
The group said it would continue campaigning to pressure the company’s management, trade unions, and local politicians. Left Party lawmaker Mirze Edis said that defense cooperation with Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unacceptable, citing the government’s wars across the Middle East and the genocide in Gaza.