Autoeuropa increases production to 1,005 cars per day

Autoeuropa is increasing productivity at its Palmela car plant and has already hired 36 more temporary workers to reach production of 1,005 cars per day, a company source told Lusa on Monday.

The increase in production from 983 to 1,005 vehicles per day, which has been going on for about a month and is in a test phase, has already provoked a reaction from the Autoeuropa Working Committee (WC), which in its internal communications defends the “strengthening of jobs”.

“Taking into account the “test” of increasing production to 1005 [veículos por dia] which continues in the assembly area, we warn that the impact on productivity in the painting and bodywork areas should be taken into account with the increase in the number of jobs,” says CT of the Palmela automobile plant in the district of Setúbal.

In a document seen by Lusa, CT Autoeuropa also claims that if daily production of 1,005 vehicles is to be maintained, this requires Autoeuropa to hire temporary workers who would in the meantime reinforce the production areas.

The increase in daily output comes at a time when the company is laying off 3,742 of its 4,900 workers for eight days in June and 13 days in July as part of a decarbonisation drive and technological changes to the production infrastructure needed to build new car models.

According to Lusa, Volkswagen Group management has assured the Autoeuropa Working Committee (CT) that the Palmela plant is “being considered for the electric vehicle”.

At the moment, Autoeuropa only produces the Volkswagen T-ROC model, which is one of the best-selling in Europe.

Last year, the Volkswagen/Autoeuropa plant produced a total of 220,100 vehicles in 2023, up 14% from 2022.