Automotive industry Ex-VW boss Diess: Need a strong domestic market for e-cars
Former VW CEO Herbert Diess is not giving up on the German car industry despite its current crisis. In a ZDF television program, he appealed to the industry's own strengths.
25.10.2024, 01:35
SDA
The industry is strong in the premium segment because there is a strong domestic market, including advantageous company car taxation, the German autobahns and the entire cluster of manufacturers and suppliers, Diess said on the ZDF program "Markus Lanz". Something similar must now succeed with expensive electric cars.
The leading global market for e-mobility will be China, partly because of its size, said Diess. This must be recognized. However, the topic of premium vehicles is open in the "new world" of the automotive industry with its fleet limits. "We need a strong domestic market for electric vehicles in the premium segment," said Diess. Germany must become the main market for expensive e-cars. "This must be achieved with fast charging and cheap electricity," said the former CEO with a view to politics. "And then we can rule the world again."
Success in the domestic market as a prerequisite
Germany still has a strong position in China, while competition there is also tough for other foreign manufacturers. Now the German automotive industry must show that it produces "the best electric cars in the world", said Diess. "And then they also have to be successful on the domestic market. We can't sell anything out there where the German customer says I don't want it."
Diess was at the helm of the VW Group until August 2022. He had recently given his successor Oliver Blume his backing for the new austerity measures. Volkswagen no longer rules out compulsory redundancies and plant closures. Other manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also struggling and have had to lower their forecasts, while German automotive suppliers are struggling with the transition to electric mobility.
