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What happened?

On September 8, 2025, at the IAA Auto Show in Munich (Germany), Volkswagen (VW) CEO Oliver Blume announced that the group is in advanced talks with the U.S. government about a large-scale investment deal.

The reason is clear: the 27.5% import tariff the U.S. applies to cars imported from the European Union. This has become a major burden for Volkswagen, especially for its two subsidiaries Audi and Porsche, which do not have production plants in the U.S. In 2025 alone, the group has lost billions of euros due to tariffs.

While rivals with U.S. factories like Tesla are not affected by these costs, Volkswagen faces clear disadvantages in pricing and competitiveness. The situation forces the group to consider producing directly in the U.S. to cut waste in its value stream and avoid tariffs.

From an Operational Excellence (OPEX) perspective, this is a vivid case study of Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Volkswagen shows us that the problem does not lie in product quality, but in the flow of value—from production and logistics to the end customer.