Volkswagen has not ruled out the production of weapons at its plants in Germany.

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said that the concern is "open" to the production of military equipment in its factories. He stated this in an interview with NDR radio station and ZDF TV channel.

Discussing the future of Volkswagen's plants in Osnabrück and Dresden, which the German concern plans to close as part of production optimization, Blume said that the company is carefully studying the needs of the military industry in technology.

"We are fundamentally open to such topics," the Volkswagen CEO was quoted as saying on March 11.

There are no concrete plans yet on how these works will be used in the future, but the concern is considering all options, he noted.

Volkswagen already has military production experience. For example, from 1939 to 1945, the Volkswagen Type 82 Kübelwagen was produced at the brand's factory, which earned the title of Germany's most massive light car during World War II.

Volkswagen is facing a drop in sales amid growing competition from Chinese companies. As part of cost-cutting, the company planned to close several factories, but faced resistance from trade unions. The concern is expected to close the Dresden plant (340 employees) in 2025, and the Osnabrück plant (2.3 thousand employees) in 2027.

On January 16, it was reported that Chinese officials and automakers were studying the situation with Volkswagen's German factories, which are scheduled to close, and were interested in acquiring these sites.