German automakers meet with chancellor at challenging time

Next week, on October 9, the leaders of some of Germany's car manufacturers will meet with the country's Chancellor , Friedrich Merz.

The information was reported by Reuters, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified. BMW , Mercedes-Benz , and Volkswagen will be represented at this meeting with the head of state.

The German automotive industry is one of the strongest and most important globally , but it also faces challenges and uncertainties such as falling sales and US tariffs - last week, the United States announced new tariffs on heavy trucks.

Global competition, particularly from Chinese manufacturers with lower-cost proposals, and the energy transition are also on the list of current challenges.

In this regard, BMW AG CEO Oliver Zipse recently told Politico that the goal of selling only electric cars in the European Union by 2035 is "a big mistake." His Mercedes counterpart, Ola Källenius, also warned against the "table-setting" approach , telling Handelsblatt that the industry could "hit the wall at high speed."

What does the data say about the market?

In August, there was even an increase in car sales in Germany (five percent), the European Union (5.3 percent) and the EU/EFTA/United Kingdom as a whole (4.7 percent).

However, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) shows a decline of 1.7 percent in Germany and 0.1 percent in the EU, although new car registrations rose 0.4 percent when also taking into account the EFTA area and the United Kingdom.