FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswagen and its employee representatives said they reached a wage deal for 120,000 German workers that avoids plant closings and bars involuntary layoffs through 2030.

If insufficient progress is made on a deal by early Dec. 18, the board of union IG Metall is prepared to hold a vote at the end of the week to pave the way for 24-hour walkouts.

Arne Meiswinkel, the automaker’s chief negotiator, said the plan includes a 10% pay cut and revised bonus system. The measures aim to strengthen the VW brand.

Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch said "politicians have given the industry targets without the necessary infrastructure being available."

Former Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn has again rejected any blame for a 2015 scandal in which the company used a so-called defeat device to undermine carbon emission testing.

Volkswagen said its battery startup has seen positive results with solid-state cells for electric vehicles, a win for the carmaker as it pushes to make EVs more efficient and less expensive.

FRANKFURT, Germany — The former head of Volkswagen’s luxury division Audi pleaded guilty May 16 to charges tied to the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal.

Volkswagen AG is increasing investments in software and EVs to close the gap to Tesla and halt a decline in China just as the threat of a demand slowdown hangs over the automotive market.

A Volkswagen AG Golf model that regulates polluting emissions based on the outside temperature doesn’t comply with the law, a German court ruled.

BERLIN — A German court on Feb. 14 rejected a lawsuit by environmental group Greenpeace aiming to force automaker Volkswagen to stop selling vehicles with combustion engines by 2030.