“Our primary objective is to protect the financial health of Volkswagen for the benefit of our team as we address the emerging and ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on our industry,” said Tom du Plessis, president and CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga. “Right now we have limited visibility on when we will be able to resume production, but we are committed to doing everything we can to preserve jobs. During this time we will be intensely focused on preparing to reopen in a responsible way, ensuring our team has the opportunity to return to work safely and as quickly as practicable.”



All furloughed employees will remain Volkswagen employees through the duration of the furlough period. Once they return, employees will retain their original dates of hire and accrued paid time off. Employees will still receive their first quarter bonuses as well as their March monthly bonuses.