Overview

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host a two‑hour meeting at the Kanzleramt on Thursday, Oct. 9, to coordinate responses to pressures on Germany’s auto sector.
• Automakers, suppliers, industry associations and IG Metall are set to attend alongside Vice‑Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, federal ministers and invited state leaders from production hubs.
• The agenda centers on strengthening competitiveness, securing jobs and aligning the industry with future technologies while meeting climate targets, according to deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer.
• Berlin will discuss how to handle the EU plan to end sales of new combustion‑engine cars in 2035, with officials signaling the national position may not be finalized at the meeting and could follow the EU review timeline.
• A joint statement is planned after the talks with Merz, Klingbeil, VDA president Hildegard Müller and IG Metall chair Christiane Benner, as the industry grapples with weak demand, rising Chinese competition and a difficult EV shift.