Volkswagen (VW) employees, one with an IG Metall bag, attend a rally to protest against restructuring and mass job cut plans at the VW headquarters on July 9, 2026 at the Wolfsburg Volkswagen Plant in Wolfsburg, northern Germany. IG Metall is organising protests by VW workers outside plants across the country on July 9, when the carmaker's bosses will present the restructuring plans to the supervisory board. Europe's largest carmaker has come under intense pressure from US tariffs, slimmer profit margins from electric cars and above all intense competition in China, the world's largest auto market. VW, whose 10 brands range from mass-market Seats to premium Porsches, is already in the process of axing 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030, including 35,000 at its namesake marque. (Photo by Lisi Niesner / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)