VW Open to Chinese Partners Sharing Underused EU Plants (1)

Volkswagen AG is open to sharing factories at its European plants with Chinese automaking partners as the company fights to whittle down production costs and reduce complexities.

Co-producing with partners is one of a range of options Volkswagen is considering and could be a “clever solution” to fill up under-utilized factories and lower costs, Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume said Thursday on a conference call.

The carmaker has already cut capacity and trimmed headcount in Germany, where workers hold powerful sway over company decisions.

“We expect tougher competition in the next years, especially from the Chinese car manufacturers, but we ...