Germany’s new ‘traffic light’ coalition government is planning a dramatic upsurge in electrified motoring together with greener industrial policies, putting a question mark over some 880,000 jobs and the future of its world-leading car makers and global tier-one suppliers – but also promising a radical reshaping of an industry at the heart of Europe’s car-making skills.
The battle around electrification, synthetic fuels and the pivot in Germany’s powerhouse assembly plants and supply chain to BEVs has already split the outgoing Merkel government from some sectors of the German auto industry – a trend that might continue since new transport, energy and industry ministers were appointed by the Coalition in early December.
