Porsche faces backlash over plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs by 2035

The sports car manufacturer wants to cut more jobs – and faces criticism for it. An agreement with the unions on the savings plans is still pending.

23.7.2026 | 17:23 Uhr

Employees at Porsche inspect a body in the paint shop at the main plant in Zuffenhausen. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa

By Nanja Boenisch

The savings plans of car manufacturer Porsche are drawing criticism.

"Whether at Porsche, VW or Audi: Before thousands of jobs are sacrificed, the return expectations of major shareholders must be scaled back," demands Cem Ince, social policy spokesperson for the Left Party in the Bundestag. "Where job cuts are unavoidable, they must be voluntary and socially responsible, for example through severance packages or partial retirement." In addition, works councils must be involved at an early stage and employees informed about savings programs.

On Wednesday, media reported that further job cuts are looming at the Volkswagen subsidiary – the workforce had not been informed at that time. Porsche CEO Michael Leiters plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs by 2035, according to the Bild newspaper. The Manager Magazin also reported job cuts of this magnitude.

In return, the employment guarantee, which currently excludes operational redundancies until mid-2030, is to be extended until the end of 2035.

Jens Hilgenberg, head of transport policy at the environmental organization BUND, criticizes: "The savings package is being discussed not least because a strategy change and a longer adherence to the combustion engine cost billions." Porsche recently suffered profit losses because sales in China collapsed – and because the luxury carmaker stumbled on its path to electromobility. For almost two years, Porsche has been focusing more on combustion engines again, and this strategic shift has left a hole in the company's balance sheets.

Difficult market for combustion engines

"Newly planned combustion engine models are now encountering an increasingly difficult market for this type of drive, while demand for electric cars is steadily rising both domestically and internationally," says Hilgenberg. "If the market launch of certain fully electric models is now delayed, the situation for Porsche could worsen further."

In return, the employment guarantee, which excludes operational redundancies, is to be extended until the end of 2035.

The job cuts are intended to be part of the so-called future package. However, Porsche indicated that there is still no agreement on this between the company, the works council, and the also involved IG Metall union. The supervisory board supports the future package, a Porsche spokesperson said on Wednesday. A works meeting is scheduled for Monday in Stuttgart, during which employees are to be informed.

Porsche had already announced a year and a half ago that around 1,900 jobs in the Stuttgart region would be cut in a socially responsible manner by 2029. Jobs were also cut at the Leipzig plant.

(with dpa/rtr)