Volkswagen AG
Emden plant

As of January 30, 2026

Plant
For more than six decades, Volkswagen has been producing vehicles for the Group in Emden. Since production began in 1964, over 12,5 million vehicles have rolled off the assembly line. Today, Emden is a central pillar in Volkswagen’s global production network and a key location for the company’s electric mobility strategy. The plant covers 4,3 million m² and employs around 7,700 people.

Production
As the first Volkswagen site in Lower Saxony, Emden was converted for electric vehicle production—while operations continued—starting in 2020. Since May 2022, the plant has been building the ID.4, followed by the all‑electric ID.7 in summer 2023 and the ID.7 Tourer in 2024. At the end of 2024, the final combustion‑engine vehicle rolled off the line. Since then, Emden has produced exclusively electric vehicles.

More than one billion euros have been invested in the site—primarily in cutting‑edge production technologies, digitalization, and workforce training. Key success factors include high product quality, efficient processes, and continuous productivity improvements. In 2025, the plant produced around 147,000 vehicles.

Environmental protection
The site is committed to building environmentally friendly vehicles using environmentally friendly production processes. With the transition to a pure EV plant, Emden has set the goal of becoming a balance‑sheet CO₂‑neutral factory by 2030.

Numerous measures are being planned and implemented to achieve this, particularly in the increased use of renewable energy sources.

Port
The Port of Emden is the third‑largest automotive transshipment port in Europe and a central maritime hub for the Volkswagen Group. With around 560 processed car‑carrier vessels, approximately 7,800 trains, and about 145 trucks per day, the port is a logistical backbone for the Group brands Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, Porsche, Seat/Cupra, Bentley, and Lamborghini.

In 2025, around 1.18 million vehicles were shipped through the port of Emden—about one third of them electric vehicles (BEV & PHEV).

Employees
More than 7,700 employees work at the Emden site. The plant focuses consistently on training, health protection, occupational safety, and ergonomic workstations.

Volkswagen Emden also trains young people in a total of 12 technical and industrial apprenticeships and offers dual study programs.

Plant management
Since November 2024, Enno Fehse has been managing the Emden plant. He completed his vocational training at Volkswagen and subsequently held numerous management positions in logistics, quality assurance, and international assignments—including roles in China and India. Most recently, he was responsible for production control and logistics for the Volkswagen brand in Wolfsburg.

History
In February 1964, Volkswagen acquired a roughly 200‑hectare site directly at the Port of Emden—chosen primarily for its short overseas transport routes and the region’s strong labor potential. On December 8, 1964, the first Beetle rolled off the line.

In the decades that followed, numerous models were produced in Emden. From 1977 onward, the Passat shaped the plant for more than 45 years. With the transformation into an EV plant beginning in 2020, a new chapter in the site’s history began.