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German auto workers stage protests as VW is ejected from Europe's top blue-chip index with 100,000 jobs set to go

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

Volkswagen shares have lost more than three-quarters of their value since 2021, as the carmaker faces 100,000 job cuts and ejection from the Euro Stoxx 50 for the first time in 15 years.
Volkswagen shares have lost more than three-quarters of their value since 2021, as the carmaker faces 100,000 job cuts and ejection from the Euro Stoxx 50 for the first time in 15 years.

Volkswagen has been booted out of the Euro Stoxx 50 for the first time in 15 years after its shares collapsed to a 16-year low, with German auto workers staging protests on the same day the carmaker issued its latest profit warning. The index exit and factory-floor unrest combine to paint the starkest picture yet of a company battling Chinese rivals, Trump tariffs and a brutal restructuring plan that will eliminate 100,000 jobs. HSBC analyst Michael Tyndall warned the "whole sector is depressed given the seemingly existential risks it is facing." VW insisted index membership "does not alter a company's fundamental strength" and called itself "an attractive investment."

VW's share price has shed over three-quarters of its value since the 2021 peak, and analysts caution that the index departure will compel ETFs to offload their holdings, heaping additional downward pressure on the stock.

MoreThe TimesVW ejected from top European index after drop in share priceReutersGerman auto workers stage protests as Volkswagen profit warning rocks sectorIrish TimesVW drops from blue-chip Euro Stoxx 50 indexCNBCVolkswagen woes deepen as blue-chip index exit follows latest profit warning - CNBC
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