The pandemic has changed how we are living. Many countries remain inaccessible, the cultural life of big cities is in hibernation. Having a car offers an escape from the stress.
In the green forest outside Berlin, a David and Goliath-style battle is playing out between electric carmaker Tesla and environmental campaigners who want to stop its planned "gigafactory".
Electric carmaker Tesla said Thursday it was "irritated" by administrative delays to the construction of its new
gigafactory outside Berlin, and put forward its own reform proposals.
US automaker Tesla was forced to
suspend forest clearing for a new German plant Tuesday after environmentalists
won an injunction over threats to the habitats of resident lizards and snakes.
With the first electric cars to be manufactured as early as next year, Tesla's factory being built near Berlin is currently advertising for a diverse range of job positions.
German car and industrial supplier Schaeffler said Wednesday that it will slash 4,400 jobs due to the impact of the
coronavirus on the automotive sector.
In a meeting Tuesday with car bosses, Angela Merkel agreed that Germany should take on a “pioneering role” in the development of self-driving cars. Critics said the meeting did too little to address the current crisis.
The German car market deepened its
slump in August as a jump in coronavirus cases caused consumers to hold back
on new purchases, industry figures indicated Thursday.
German auto-parts maker Continental
said Tuesday that it would expand its vast restructuring programme to affect
30,000 jobs, as the coronavirus pandemic ravages global vehicle production.
Car registrations in Germany showed
this year's smallest monthly drop in July as buyers took advantage of a
temporary cut in value added tax, figures released Wednesday showed.
Thousands of Daimler employees
have agreed to cut their hours and give up bonuses this year to save jobs amid the coronavirus crisis, the German carmaker said Tuesday.
Technology entrepreneur, investor, and engineer Elon Musk has revealed an artist's impression of how his new Tesla site near Berlin might look – and shared his ideas for a rave and swimming pool.
German high-end carmaker BMW will slash 6,000 of its over 120,000 jobs worldwide this year, a spokesman told AFP
Friday, as the industry battles a demand trough and production setbacks from
the coronavirus pandemic.
Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler said Wednesday it plans to restart work at factories in Germany from April 20th,
after a weeks-long interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic.
New registrations of cars on
German roads plunged in March to the lowest in almost three decades, official data showed Friday, as restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus inflicted a heavy blow.
A section of one of the capital's busiest streets will be car-free for six months in an experiment aimed at attracting more pedestrians and cyclists to the area.
Germany's world-renowned automotive industry is going through a tough time, but it's still one of the country's biggest employers. We looked at where the jobs are across the Bundesrepublik.
German chemical giant BASF says it will build a factory making key components for electric car batteries in Brandenburg state, not far from Tesla's first European "Gigafactory" just outside Berlin.
German car sales fell sharply in January,
official data showed Wednesday, hit by the coming into force of new EU
pollution rules which had triggered a buying frenzy in the final months of 2019.
German automakers, already pounded
by weak global growth and a costly shift to electric vehicles, stand to lose the most if US President Donald Trump makes good on fresh threats to slap crippling tariffs on European cars.
The east German state of Brandenburg has been anxiously awaiting this moment: The US electric car maker Tesla has agreed to a state property contract. But not everyone is in agreement on the project.
