Overview

• At a Chemnitz conference, IG Metall demanded clear manufacturer investments plus binding site and employment guarantees in Saxony, which counts about 780 auto firms, roughly 100,000 workers, and around 40% of Germany’s fully electric car output.
• The union called on the federal government to quickly introduce purchase incentives for electric cars to bolster demand and production.
• Leaders warned of a “second de‑industrialization in the East” if the transition stalls and urged companies to act rather than wait for new policies.
• CDU/CSU figures Jens Spahn, Markus Söder and Michael Kretschmer, along with EPP leader Manfred Weber, have urged softening or reversing the EU’s 2035 combustion‑engine phaseout.
• Audi CEO Gernot Döllner labeled renewed combustion‑engine debates counterproductive, while Saxony economy minister Dirk Panter backed a realistic transition with flexibility on timing and cautioned against dependence on Chinese manufacturers.