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DPA
Munich
The premier of the southern German state of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, has called for a “transformation strategy” to sustain the country’s car industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.
“We can’t play for time when comes to cars. They are the lifeblood of our economy,” Soeder said in an interview with dpa.
Soeder, who leads the CSU, the sister party of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, is tapped as a potential successor to the German chancellor in next year’s elections.
Soeder’s comments come as state and industry representatives prepare to meet Merkel on Tuesday to discuss automotive policy. Bavaria is the home of German car giant BMW.
He called for innovation in the car sector, including the promotion of electric vehicles.
“We need a massive expansion and promotion of new engine models and a timely concept for autonomous driving in all of Germany. Because ecological, autonomous and digital vehicles are the future,” Soeder said.
At the same time, he opposed phasing out combustion engines immediately: “We need to bridge the time until we can transition completely to electric or other motors such as hybrid or hydrogen.” “We also need large training programmes for employees in the transition to new engines,” Soeder added.
The demand for new cars has crashed during the pandemic, although significantly more electric vehicles have been registered for use on the road.
Munich
The premier of the southern German state of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, has called for a “transformation strategy” to sustain the country’s car industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.
“We can’t play for time when comes to cars. They are the lifeblood of our economy,” Soeder said in an interview with dpa.
Soeder, who leads the CSU, the sister party of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, is tapped as a potential successor to the German chancellor in next year’s elections.
Soeder’s comments come as state and industry representatives prepare to meet Merkel on Tuesday to discuss automotive policy. Bavaria is the home of German car giant BMW.
He called for innovation in the car sector, including the promotion of electric vehicles.
“We need a massive expansion and promotion of new engine models and a timely concept for autonomous driving in all of Germany. Because ecological, autonomous and digital vehicles are the future,” Soeder said.
At the same time, he opposed phasing out combustion engines immediately: “We need to bridge the time until we can transition completely to electric or other motors such as hybrid or hydrogen.” “We also need large training programmes for employees in the transition to new engines,” Soeder added.
The demand for new cars has crashed during the pandemic, although significantly more electric vehicles have been registered for use on the road.
