Volkswagen is demanding that the European Union impose higher import tariffs for Chinese plug-in hybrids, and it wants it done sooner rather than later.

 

The German car group isn’t going through a particularly rosy period, with CEO Oliver Blume proposing gargantuan job cuts that could affect 100,000 employees, up from the 50,000 layoffs that have already been approved. With this in mind, the company is using its industrial and economic might to persuade officials to make it harder for Chinese companies to make a buck in the EU.