Editorial 19.4.2023

With the Auto China exhibition in Shanghai, the most important industry exhibition for German carmakers has started. In the past, the managers of German brands were overflowing with self-confidence here. It was a stage for world premieres and for showcasing their own successes on the world’s largest market, which VW likes to call its „second home market“. But the mood is now bleak. Outpaced by the local competition and Tesla, the German brands have been forced to eke out a niche existence in the booming electric segment. And even when combustion engines are taken into account, VW has lost its long-held market leadership to local rival BYD.