autoregion international - Edition 1/2020

7 We are building the cars of the future By Anke Rehlinger, Minister of Economic Affairs of the Saarland and Deputy Prime Minister of Saarland The car is a cultural asset, which is associated with a special attitude to life. I myself own a vintage car, a Peugeot 404, built in 1964. For me, this vehiclemeans leisure, passion and a sense of freedom. The Saarland is a car country - both in terms of production and use. The automotive industry provides added value in Saarland, good training and tens of thousands of jobs. Cars from the Saarland are not just the ve- hicles that are built entirely by us. Did you know that more than half of the parts in vehicles of a well-known Bavarian brand come from the Saarland? No other in- dustry shapes our state as much as the automotive industry – and this is also due to the strong supply industry. Around 44,000 Saarlanders from 260 companies are employed directly or indirectly in ve- hicle construction and generate revenues of currently 17 billion euros per year. More than half of the turnover is generated in foreign trade. Saarland today combines traditional industry, a qualified workforce and in- novative know-how from cutting-edge research in areas such as IT, artificial in- telligence and autonomous driving. Our business location is diverse. And because we are the country of short distances, cooperation is easier. Consequently, the companies in this sector are optimally co- ordinated with each other. International corporations have operating sites in Saa- rland and benefit from the large number of small and medium-sized companies in the region. With its location in the heart of Europe, Saarland is an ideal starting point for business in European markets. This is where the car of the future is built. The car, as we know it, will change a lot in the next few years. It will refuel differently and it will have different emissions. We in Saarland see this as an opportunity, but we also want to keep as many jobs as possible and create new modern and future-proof jobs. For example, we are focusing on the future technology of hydrogen and we are starting to build an infrastructure for that. Many companies are involved in developing and improving fuel cells, transferring inno- vations from research directly into indus- trial production. With a cross-border test field, we test future technologies such as automated and autonomous driving and thus create a Saarland DNA of the car of tomorrow. The attractiveness of Saarland as an au- tomotive location is an economic and socio-political topic for the state govern- ment. This nuclear industry is systemically important to the prosperity and social fabric of our country. That is why we are pursuing an active structural policy in order to prevent a structural change in industry - accelerated by impending Brexit and inter- national trade conflicts - from becoming a structural break. But we understand some- thing about transformation and change in Saarland. We create the best conditions for companies to produce here and provide employment. Image: © Fionn Große Wir bauen das Auto der Zukunft Das Auto ist auch ein Kulturgut, das mit einem besonderen Lebensgefühl ver- bunden ist. Ich besitze selbst einen Oldti- mer, einenPeugeot 404, Baujahr 1964. Für mich bedeutet dieses Fahrzeug Hobby, Leidenschaft und ein Gefühl von Frei- heit. Das Saarland ist ein Autoland – so- wohl was die Produktion als auch was die Nutzung angeht. Die Automobilindustrie sorgt im Saarland für Wertschöpfung, für gute Ausbildung und zehntausende Arbeitsplätze. Autos aus dem Saarland – das sind nicht nur die Fahrzeuge, die komplett bei uns gebaut werden. Wussten Sie, dass auch in Fahrzeugen einer bekannten bayeri- schen Marke über die Hälfte der Teile aus dem Saarland stammen? Keine andere Branche prägt unser Bundesland so sehr wie die Automobilindustrie – und das liegt auch an der starken Zulieferindustrie. Rund 44.000 Saarländerinnen und Saar- länder aus 260 Unternehmen sind direkt oder indirekt imFahrzeugbau beschäftigt und erwirtschaften Umsätze von aktu- ell 17 Milliarden Euro pro Jahr. Über die Hälfte der Umsätze wird dabei im Außen- handel erzielt … Weiterlesen … https://t1p.de/j16e Summary Anke Rehlinger, Minister of Economic Affairs of the Saarland and Deputy Prime Minister of Saarland S H A R E