The year 2018 was a difficult year for the global automotive industry and for the German manufacturers in particular. In the first 9 months of 2018, global auto sales only increased by 1.2% to 62.2 million vehicles.

Sales in North America declined, especially in North America, but the sluggish German market also caused problems for the manufacturers. In Germany alone, the number of new registrations fell by 0.2% in 2018 – the first decline in 5 years. Above all, sales of diesel vehicles collapsed after the many scandals in 2018. Specifically, the sale of diesel cars in 2018 in Germany fell by 6.5%.

Outlook for the automotive industry 2019

In addition to the diesel problem, the German automotive industry has another problem: New emission standards such as the WLTP process require further adjustments on the part of the manufacturer. In this way, the indicated fuel consumption in the sales brochures should be based on actual consumption in practice.

In addition, the investment focus of the industry continues to shift towards electromobility and autonomous driving . The German automakers want to set a good example and continue to invest in these areas. ...