May be of interest to some. From the German automobile industry weekly:

VW kürzt Passat-Produktion erneut - Automobilwoche.de - das Bookmark der Autobranche

Translation by me:

Emden / Wolfsburg. Due to weak European demand the Volkswagen Passat plant in Emden is rolling production back again. After the workers had already received an extra week of Christmas holiday in December, the production will now rest on four Fridays in a row. The assembly lines will remain silent on 8, 15 and 22 February and on 1 March, a VW spokesman announced on Wednesday [- article date Wed. 30-01-2013] in Emden. The "Wolfsburg Allgemeine Zeitung" had reported about these plans, which the works council has now approved.

The company explained the decision with the economic uncertainties in the European markets. Short-time work in Emden despite the sluggish sales of the sedan in Western Europe is not an issue, it said. As in December the shortened work hours are compensated for during the break in production by a reduction in accumulated overtime. In Emden 1200 sedans are produced daily. The factory has around 8,800 employees.

The Passat is especially successful in Germany as a company car. Last year, it was the most frequently requested Vokswagen Group model next to the Golf, the Audi A4 and the Audi A6. Works council head Bernd Osterloh had recently reported about greater reluctance of customers in the fleet sales market.

Meanwhile, the production of the Golf 7 and the small SUV, the Tiguan is in full swing. Works council and management agreed on new extra shifts.