Autopapst Dudenhöffer: China bashing not good for Germany as an industrial location

Created: 11/22/2022, 8:00 p.m

By: Thomas Schmidtutz

Ferdinand Dudenhöffer: The car expert warns of the possible consequences of a tough China course.

© Nicolas Blandin/dpa

The car expert Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer has warned the federal government against a tough China course.

What is needed is cooperation instead of confrontation, said Dudenhöffer in an interview.

Munich - The car expert Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer has asked the Stuttgart car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz to correct its course.

The clear concentration on the luxury segment under the new CEO Ola Källenius is a "mistake", said the head of the Duisburg Center Automotive Research (CAR) to

.  

Prof. Dudenhöffer, the major car manufacturers around the world are in the midst of a shift towards e-mobility.

This also has consequences for employees.

According to Ford boss Jim Farley, by the end of the decade 40 percent fewer workers will be needed to produce electric cars than for combustion engines.

Do you share this assessment?

Of course, what the Ford boss does not say is that innovative companies such as the VW Group are developing new value-added potential in battery production, software, charging solutions, car subscriptions and financial services.

As far as I know, Ford doesn't do that anywhere.

They even had Argo AI a few days ago...

...a developer of robot cars for autonomous driving....

...dissolved, one of the beacons of hope.

The car of the future is therefore much more than four wheels with an electric motor.

You only have to look to China to see how it works.

So Ford doesn't stand much for new value creation potential and the future, but for the old world of "hire & fire".

It's the old world of the car guys, who I don't think have much of a future.

In order to prevent mass layoffs, manufacturers would have to bring back parts of the production that lies with suppliers, says Farley.

Is that possible?

This is also an old management method, which tends to show that you are unimaginative and want to save for the future.

The phases of so-called in-sourcing can be observed again and again in weak companies, but compared to the important suppliers, one is less competitive here with one's own size.

In my estimation, Ford will become weaker instead of stronger.

It is a short-term action, more actionistic than strategic.

Companies that are fit for the future are built up in such a way that they clearly consider what the important core competencies are and do not start tinkering with car seats tomorrow.    

So the switch to e-mobility is primarily threatening jobs at suppliers?

We will have an increase in employment figures if we add everything that belongs to the car of the future.

BMW, VW and Co. employ almost 800,000 people in Germany.

In addition, there are another three million jobs at suppliers.

What do you expect here for 2030?

We certainly have a problem with the traditional automotive suppliers.

But that depends in part on the companies.

The battery was “overslept”, new business areas such as charging solutions and infrastructure were not addressed and software developments were pushed forward far too little.

But these are exactly the fields that will bring jobs tomorrow and this is exactly what the “new supplier industry” is.

We're talking more about BASF and similar heavyweights that shape the future.

Incidentally, the same applies to IT in Germany.

In my opinion, SAP is a slow company and has lost a lot compared to companies from the USA and China.

In China, German manufacturers have not yet made any real headway with their e-offensive.

Just a few days ago, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would significantly reduce prices in China, triggering a price slide.

After that, the prices for the brand new top model EQS should drop by 11 to 22 percent, for the EQE just presented by nine percent.

VW is also having unexpected difficulties with its electric cars in China.

Do we need to worry?

At Mercedes, the new boss Ola Källenius has put too much emphasis on the pure luxury segment.

A mistake in my opinion.

Mercedes without an A-class segment is weaker, because that's where it's important to get the cost advantages.

At VW, the trend reversal in China has been visible and tangible for several months.

The new head of China, Ralf Brandstätter, is doing a top job and recognizes the great importance of the dynamism that a company in China needs.

So: VW is going in the right direction.

But many observers fear that with the transition from combustion engines to alternative drives, German manufacturers will lose their leading global role as drivers of technology and innovation?

The competition for the technology comes from China and certainly not from Ford. That is why we need collaboration and cooperation with China.

And that's where our Greens politicians in Berlin come first, who are pursuing pure-blooded China bashing.

This is not good for Germany as an industrial location.