FRANKFURT, Germany - Volkswagen AG's flagship brand must improve productivity and operations considered to be uncompetitive could be shut down, the head of the brand said.
Wolfgang Bernhard, who heads the VW brand of Europe's biggest automaker, set a goal of raising productivity 30 percent within three years as the brand _ which makes the Golf, Polo and Passat, among others _ strives to improve performance and carve out a better presence in American and Chinese markets.
Bernhard also warned that some parts of component production at VW were "far from any competitiveness" and must be improved or else.
"We must consider closing those operations that are far from being competitive. Or we find a partner that will take over these activities who is in a better position to secure jobs," he said in an interview with the company's in-house magazine, autogramm, published Monday.
Wolfgang Bernhard, who heads the VW brand of Europe's biggest automaker, set a goal of raising productivity 30 percent within three years as the brand _ which makes the Golf, Polo and Passat, among others _ strives to improve performance and carve out a better presence in American and Chinese markets.
Bernhard also warned that some parts of component production at VW were "far from any competitiveness" and must be improved or else.
"We must consider closing those operations that are far from being competitive. Or we find a partner that will take over these activities who is in a better position to secure jobs," he said in an interview with the company's in-house magazine, autogramm, published Monday.
