German auto giant Volkswagen’s troubles and warnings about potential plant closures requires government intervention, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced on Tuesday. Volkswagen said on Monday that the company could no longer rule out mandatory redundancies and plant closures as part of major austerity plans aimed at turning around the carmaker’s core VW brand. Volkswagen has never closed a plant in Germany, and has not shut down a factory anywhere in the world since 1988. Labour leaders at VW reacted with outrage to Monday’s announcement and vowed to fight hard against any plant cl…