Mexican Media Brands
VW: German Auto Industry Faces 50:50 Chance of Fading
Germany’s auto industry has a 50% chance of fading from prominence unless it faces up to new regulations and the need to overhaul its supply chains, warns Volkswagen brand CEO Herbert Diess.
#regulations
Share
Germany’s auto industry has a 50% chance of fading from prominence unless it faces up to new regulations and the need to overhaul its supply chains, warns Volkswagen brand CEO Herbert Diess.
Diess tells a supplier conference that Europe’s tougher emission rules, which are forcing the industry to electrify future models, could “push some carmakers out of business” if they fail to quickly shift production accordingly.
He warns that BMW, Daimler and VW could exit the list of “global elite” carmakers in 10 years if they fail to step up to the industry’s regulatory-driven transformation to zero-emission vehicles.
Diess acknowledges that electrification will lead to the loss of some 14,000 jobs in Germany alone by 2020, mainly because electric powertrains are simpler and easier to make than traditional piston-powered systems. But he says the industry’s real challenge is to determine how quickly it must implement the resulting structural change and take action accordingly.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Study: How States Should Update Traffic Laws for Autonomous Cars
U.S. states should require that all automated cars have a licensed driver on board, suggests a study by the Governors Highway Safety Assn.
-
Dubai to Test Digital License Plates
Next month Dubai will begin testing digital license plates that can display various messages, make payments and conduct other transactions.
-
BMW Granted License to Test Self-Driving Cars in Shanghai
BMW AG has become the first foreign carmaker to win permission to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in China, according to the Shanghai Daily.