Volkswagen is reportedly reconsidering plans to shift production of the Cupra Born electric compact car from its Zwickau factory to the company’s main plant in Wolfsburg, according to local media reports.
The potential reversal comes amid internal concerns that the Zwickau facility—already operating below capacity—could face a major underutilization crisis if both the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born are relocated as originally planned.
The proposed relocation was part of a December 2024 labor agreement between Volkswagen and the IG Metall union, intended to consolidate production of the ID.3 and Cupra Born at Wolfsburg and shift ID.5 production to Emden. If enacted, the move would leave Zwickau producing only the Audi Q4 e-tron and its Sportback variant, prompting doubts about the plant’s long-term viability. “The site in Saxony, which has been expensively converted for the production of electric cars, is threatened with an early demise,” reported Wolfsburger Nachrichten.
Volkswagen executives have reportedly been debating for weeks whether to keep production of the Cupra Born in Zwickau. The newspaper noted that the Born is not a high-volume model, with the group projecting around 80,000 units per year—a figure some analysts consider overly optimistic.
In the first quarter of 2025, only 11,000 units were sold. Nevertheless, with Golf production in Wolfsburg set to end in 2026 as that assembly line transitions to the SSP electric platform, the Born had been viewed as a partial replacement to maintain production balance.
The uncertainty surrounding the Cupra Born is compounded by speculation that Audi may also withdraw Q4 e-tron production from Zwickau. Some volumes could shift to the U.S., where the model might be assembled at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant to avoid tariffs on North American exports.
If both the Born and Audi’s MEB models leave Zwickau, the factory’s future would be in serious doubt, despite recent major investments to convert it into an EV production hub. A final decision on the Cupra Born’s location remains pending.