Shantal Triana

16 September 2020
Business with Europe
Automobile Industry in Germany

1. What was meant when said that Germany is a victim of its own success?

This video talks about the success that German auto industry has had during history. It is
one of the largest automobile industries in the world and this has come with a lot of success for
them. The industry provides many jobs for people and contributes largely to the GDP of the
country. The industry has always been large believers of the diesel side for vehicles, but in a
rapidly changing world this is not so attractive anymore. The electric cars industry is rapidly
growing in economies like China, and Germany is falling behind every time. Since they have
been so successful during history with their diesel-powered vehicles, they are taking a long time
to take the risk of switching to electric powered ones.

2. Why is it hard for Germany to switch to electric cars?

It has been hard for Germany to switch to electric cars for various reasons. Germany’s
government seems to be very slow to take decisions to start the transition to adaptation for
the implementation of electric cars, since they believe that people are not ready for this
change. China for example takes the decision to make most of their cars electric powered
and they will have charging stations built in a month, something that doesn’t happen in
Germany. The truth is people are ready to change into the electric cars, but there’s not as
many good and affordable cars in the market yet to start this transition. Manufacturers such
as BMW have models that are hybrids, and also completely electric, but these cars are
usually very expensive for a regular earning person to buy. Without the help of the
government to provide electric cars charging stations and the many regulations, could mean
a significant downfall for the great German manufacturers.