Overview
- The 2 November ARD broadcast began with a one-on-one interview with Green politician Cem Özdemir before a discussion with VDA president Hildegard Müller and economist Moritz Schularick.
- Özdemir rebuked Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent “Stadtbild” remarks, insisting a chancellor must present solutions on irregular migration, and he called for a politics–industry pact to accelerate electrification and software innovation.
- Müller argued Europe lags badly in battery manufacturing due to high energy costs, pressed for independent European capacity, and pointed to automakers’ plans for roughly €320 billion in R&D and €220 billion for plant conversion.
- Schularick described a structural “second China shock,” said Germany has fallen behind in key technologies, and urged attracting foreign investors and shifting toward AI, robotics and other high-tech fields.
- Cited data included multi-billion losses at Volkswagen and Porsche, a sharp profit slump at Mercedes, and projections of about 190,000 auto jobs at risk, with calls to cut energy prices, reduce bureaucracy and diversify supply chains.