On Monday, the auto summit convened by Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) will take place in Germany. The largest automobile manufacturers and suppliers, the industry association VDA and the union IG Metall are expected to take part in the online conference. The trigger is the difficult situation in the industry and VW’s massive savings plans.
Demands were already being made at the weekend. IG Metall demanded a “quick support package for electric cars”. A spokesman said: “This would help the manufacturers and suppliers who have already invested billions in e-mobility and secure jobs.” It should also give companies a boost in the race with non-European manufacturers and be “an industrial policy fitness injection for the necessary restructuring of the automotive industry”.
The SPD faction called for a “car exchange bonus”. There would be a 6,000 euro bonus for switching from a combustion engine to a new electric car and 3,000 euros for switching to a used electric car. Greenpeace proposed a purchase bonus for small electric cars.
Criticism of the summit came from the CDU/CSU and the FDP. Politicians from both parties also expressed their opposition to further subsidies. The deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Christoph Meyer called for “structural reforms from which the entire economy benefits.”
