OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2018 / OEM&Supplier Edition 2/2018

107 The German automotive industry is driving ahead the transformation process leading to mobility of the future at high speed. We are ramping up a forward strategy consisting of two major innovation themes: elec- tric mobility and other alternative powertrains, as well as digitization, networking and automated driving. In the coming three years German manufacturers will be tripling their programme from 30 to over 100 e-models. In the same period our indus- try is investing altogether EUR 40 billion in alternative drive systems, with the emphasis on electric mobility. New registrations of electric vehicles in Germany more than doubled in the past year and in the cur- rent year they have increased again. We already have a strong market position today. We have increased our market share of new electric passenger car registrations in Western Europe to 48 per cent, and in Germany to 66 per cent. The success of our companies is also reflected by the fact that 80 per cent of the electric passenger cars produced in Germany are exported. However, electric mobility will not be the only form of drive system. The highly efficient internal combustion engine also has a future. And natural gas and hydrogen drive systems remain in the running. Climate-neutral e-fuels are an excellent complement. The second driving force for innovations consists of digitization with networked and automated driving. The goal of our manufacturers and suppliers is to make road traffic even safer, more efficient and more com- fortable in future. We shall continue to boost support for drivers step by step and thus avoid accidents. For this we are developing automated driving functions building on existing driver assistance systems. Every second worldwide patent in networked and automated driving comes from the German automotive industry. Germany is the world patent champion in this segment. In the next three years we shall be investing around EUR 18 billion here. This will support gradual introduc- tion of automated driving, as well as the determining of international regulations, which needs to be speeded up. Our manufacturers and suppliers see themselves increasingly as providers of comprehensive mobility services, supplementing public transport. They serve to optimise traffic in densely populated areas and additionally satisfy individual mobility needs. One thing is clear – we want to remain in the driver’s seat in both key areas of innovation – electric mobility and digitization. We shall not be satisfied with the role of passenger. We see IT companies as partners – but always on an equal footing. The core competence areas of auto- mobile and mobility service provider will remain with our companies. Editorial by Bernhard Mattes President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry VDA www.vda.de