Volkswagen cuts jobs
Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, wants to cut tens of thousands of jobs and may close some factories. The company’s CEO, Oliver Blume, says their old business model of making cars in Germany for global export doesn’t work anymore. Volkswagen is losing customers in China, and European buyers are spending less money.
At the same time, Chinese car companies are growing fast and now hold over 10% of the European market.
To avoid high European import taxes on electric cars, Chinese companies started selling more hybrid cars instead.
To protect European companies, the EU is now planning new laws.
These rules might put taxes on hybrid cars or make foreign companies to build their vehicles inside Europe.
Continue reading — free account required
Sign up in seconds to unlock the full article, translations for every word, native audio, and typing practice that builds fluency.
In short
Volkswagen, a big car company in Europe, plans to cut many jobs and might close factories. Their old way of making cars in Germany and selling them worldwide isn't working well now. They are losing customers in China, and people in Europe are buying fewer cars.
Chinese car companies are growing fast and selling many cars in Europe. To avoid high taxes on electric cars, they are selling more hybrid cars there. Now, the EU might make new rules to protect European car companies, possibly adding taxes on hybrid cars or requiring foreign companies to build cars in Europe.
This news story is great for English learners! It uses common business terms and helps you understand global economics. You can practice reading comprehension and learn new vocabulary related to industry, trade, and economic changes.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Volkswagen cutting jobs?
Volkswagen is cutting jobs because their traditional business model is failing, they're losing customers in China, and European buyers are spending less money.
What does 'business model' mean in this context?
A 'business model' here refers to Volkswagen's strategy of how they make and sell cars to earn money, which is now considered outdated.
How are Chinese car companies affecting the European market?
Chinese car companies are growing fast and increasing their market share in Europe, especially by selling hybrid cars to avoid electric car import taxes.
Why read the news to learn English?
Reading current news is one of the fastest ways to build real vocabulary. On Typebyline every article is rewritten at three levels so you always read at the level that challenges you just enough. Sign up free to unlock full articles, native audio, translations for every word, and a typing practice mode that tracks your speed and accuracy.
Learn English by typing real news — one line at a time
Typebyline turns every news article into a short typing lesson. You listen to a sentence, type it back, and tap any word to see its meaning in your own language with pronunciation and native audio. Reading, listening, spelling and vocabulary improve together, in a few quiet minutes a day.
The words blurred before her eyes.
This is the real practice screen — every line of every article works like this.
- 01
Listen to the line
Every sentence is read aloud by a native voice. Replay it as many times as you need, at the speed that suits you.
- 02
Type it back
Each letter is checked as you type. Mistakes turn red with a soft sound, so spelling and word order stick for good.
- 03
Tap any word
See the translation in your language, the IPA pronunciation, and hear the word alone. Save it to review later.
Read and type in your own language
Translations are available in 11 languages — Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Polish, Dutch, Turkish and English. Pick your language once and every word in every article follows it.
- 🇬🇧English
- 🇸🇦العربية
- 🇪🇸Español
- 🇫🇷Français
- 🇩🇪Deutsch
- 🇮🇹Italiano
- 🇵🇹Português
- 🇸🇪Svenska
- 🇵🇱Polski
- 🇳🇱Nederlands
- 🇹🇷Türkçe
- 🇬🇧English
- 🇸🇦العربية
- 🇪🇸Español
- 🇫🇷Français
- 🇩🇪Deutsch
- 🇮🇹Italiano
- 🇵🇹Português
- 🇸🇪Svenska
- 🇵🇱Polski
- 🇳🇱Nederlands
- 🇹🇷Türkçe
Three levels of every article
The same news story is rewritten for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners, in short sentences of 6–13 words.
Difficult words explained
Key vocabulary from each news article comes with a simple English explanation you can read before you start.
Save words and sentences
Anything you save goes to your own list, and new practice sentences can be generated from the words you saved.
New stories every day
Fresh world news is added continuously, so you always practise with English people are actually using today.
Start learning English free
Create a free account to unlock full articles, native audio, word translations and typing practice.
Create free account