Overview

• Total production across industry, construction and energy fell 4.3% in August from July, the steepest monthly drop since early 2022, according to Destatis.
• Automobile output slumped 18.5% month on month, with economists pointing to factory holidays and model changeovers as key drivers of the swing.
• Industrial output declined 5.6% on the month, while new orders fell 0.8% for a fourth straight month, making a third‑quarter GDP contraction more likely, analysts said.
• Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche presented the autumn outlook of 0.2% growth in 2025, followed by 1.3% in 2026 and 1.4% in 2027, with much of the uplift expected from state investment.
• EV market gauges are clouded by elevated self‑registrations, with the ZDK reporting 65,401 since 2023 and Volkswagen indicating about 24% of July 2025 registrations were manufacturer entries.