BOCHUM (dpa-AFX) - Automotive industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhoffer sees the car industry in Germany losing more and more ground. "It is a toxic mixture from Berlin and Brussels that is causing great damage to Germany as a car location in the long term," says Dudenhoffer. The winner is the car industry in China, which is constantly increasing its cost advantage with electric cars.

In China, the share of battery-powered vehicles (BEVs) in new car sales rose to 25.7 percent in the first half of the year, while in the USA it remained at 7.7 percent and in the EU it fell to 12.5 percent. "China's cost advantage in electromobility is thus being further extended, while Europe is falling further behind." With the large volume advantages and large capacities for battery production, e-cars are cheaper to produce in China than in Germany.

Germany is even preventing more electric cars from gradually coming onto the roads and is setting the European car industry back, says Dudenhoffer. In France, Italy and Spain, the proportion of e-cars rose in the first half of the year, while in Germany it fell after the purchase premium was stopped at the end of 2023. In addition, there are new debates about synthetic fuels and the ban on the registration of new combustion engines from 2035, as well as the punitive tariffs for subsidized e-cars from China. If this trend continues, the economist believes that Europe will no longer be a competitive location for the automotive industry in the future./rol/DP/ngu