Overview
- Output remains below 2019 levels, with falling combustion orders not fully replaced by electric-vehicle demand, according to Saxony-Anhalt officials.
- Companies are stepping up restructuring: Webasto plans nearly 1,000 domestic job cuts, Bosch faces contested reductions at German sites, and ZF agreed to sell its driver-assistance unit to Samsung’s Harman.
- Ernst & Young estimates about 51,000 automotive jobs have already been lost nationwide, while a VDA survey found 61% of companies intend to reduce headcount.
- Supplier distress has intensified, with consultancy Falkensteg counting 41 large insolvencies in 2025 and projecting a higher total than in 2024.
- Regional pressure is acute in Saxony-Anhalt, where Bohai Trimet and Boryszew entered insolvency and IFA Gruppe was sold to a U.S. buyer, as some firms pivot to new fields such as battery safety parts or even modular housing.