Overview

• The Ifo business-climate index for the auto sector fell 5.7 points to −21.5 in September, a sharp deterioration from recent months.
• Business expectations dropped 8.3 points to −23.1 and the assessment of current conditions eased to −19.9, signaling deepening pessimism.
• Export expectations rose to 16.7, the highest since April 2023, which Ifo says points to home-market weakness rather than trade uncertainty.
• At the Autogipfel, leaders are debating “technology openness” as Kanzler Merz seeks to overturn the 2035 combustion-engine ban opposed by the SPD, with Hesse’s premier urging an “Auto-Agenda-2030.”
• Analysts warn of major job losses without reforms, citing projections of more than 200,000 at risk by 2030, about 19,000 positions lost in 2024, and roughly 190,000 at stake by 2035.