OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2020

80 Welcome adress by VDA President Hildegard Müller Innovations show the way out of the crisis The effects of the corona pandemic have caused the automotive mar- kets to collapse worldwide and plunged the industry – especially in Europe and Germany – into the worst crisis in decades. The slump in the market is unprecedented in scale. In the first half of 2020, new car registrations in Germany fell by almost 35 percent to 1.21 million cars. This is the lowest value for a first half year in Germany since reunification 30 years ago. A slight recovery is in sight for the second half of the year. A sign of this is the order intake at German manufacturers, where the minus compared to the same month of the previous year was significantly lower in June than in May. The commercial vehicle markets are hit even harder by the crisis. Worldwide sales of commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of over 6 tons will decrease by 24 percent to 2.6 million units according to VDA forecasts in 2020. The dramatic drop in demand, the temporary demolition of the sup- ply chains and the weeks-long production stoppages meant that car production in Germany in the first half of the year fell to the lowest level in 45 years. From January to June, only 1.5 million vehicles were manufactured at the German locations – 40 percent less than in the same period last year. The spread of the virus still seems to be under control in Germany. But regional outbreaks and the increased travel activity in the context of the summer vacation hold enormous dangers. We cannot be reckless now. In addition to the health hazard, a “second wave” would also have enormous economic consequences, which are likely to be much more difficult to cope with. Our health protection efforts therefore continue unabated. With regard to the economy as a whole, the main concern now is to maintain the industrial base in Europe and Germany and to secure employment. In addition, the automotive industry is continuing to drive its transformation for new drives and digitalization. These are enormous challenges that have to be mastered at the same time. With investments of € 50 billion in new drives alone and a further € 25 billion in digitalization by 2024, the VDA member companies are investing significantly in the transformation. The e-model range of German brands will more than double from the current 70 to more than 150 models by the end of 2023. With a view to international markets, growth and employment, we also need an intelligent mix of offers: from battery-electric cars to low-emission vehicles with state-of-the-art petrol and diesel en- gines. The plug-in hybrid in particular offers enormous opportunities here. And to achieve the major goal of climate-neutral mobility, the use of hydrogen and e-fuels will become more important. Overall, I am convinced that the car will continue to be an elementary part of climate-friendly mobility in the future. The requirements for the means of transport differ – for example between city and country. That is why it is important to use the best solution in each case, to take people‘s realities into account and to be open to technology when it comes to future mobility. The second half of 2020 is very challenging for our industry. It is about overcoming the corona crisis, the transformation towards climate pro- tection and digitization, securing the competitiveness of our industry and the future of the EU. This crisis hits the economy hard, it attacks the industrial core and thus the basis of prosperity, growth and em- ployment. We need every support to strengthen this industrial base. It is important to revive the economy quickly and comprehensively in order to strengthen demand and give our companies and their em- ployees a perspective. Hildegard Müller VDA www.vda.de Image: © VDA