There’s always a first time

Then a second, then a third…

Volkswagen shutters a German plant for first time ever as Trump tariffs squeeze car giant – Volkswagen is ending vehicle production at its Dresden factory — the first time in the automaker’s 88-year history that it has closed a plant in its home country — as weakening demand and punishing US tariffs squeeze the German car giant.

The last vehicle rolled off the line Tuesday at the Dresden site, known as the “Transparent Factory” because of its glass-walled design, capping 24 years of production that began in 2001.

Because Germans are making cars that nobody wants to buy…

And voluntarily killing their number one industry in the process.

That’s why.

Why Germany’s auto capitals face financial crisis – The crisis in Germany’s revered car industry is taking a toll on its wealthiest regions — and hitting the pocketbooks of residents.

Berlin to become more car-friendly now?

That’ll be easy.

It couldn’t be any more car-unfriendly.

‘The car belongs in Berlin’: city backpedaling on bike-friendly policies, critics say – Car-critical measures have been slashed since the conservative CDU came into power in 2023, triggering protests and dividing communities.

German of the day: Abbau

That means reduction, to dismantle or cut.

German car industry sheds 51,500 jobs in a year – The dip equates to almost 7% of the total workforce in the German auto sector. Faltering exports to China and the US play a role, as new tariffs raise barriers to entry in both these core markets.

“The US and China are currently the cause of major concerns.”

German politicians emitting too much gas

And missing their targets in the process.

German top politicians’ cars exceed CO2 targets: study – If EU emissions targets for the car industry were applied to top German politicians’ official vehicles, the fleet would fail, according to a climate body’s new study, saying it was “emblematic” of German carmakers.

Shock treatment about to begin in Germany

China shock treatment.

If the Chinese can’t displace the American workforce anymore, then they’ll displace another one (or two, or three…).

The China shock hits Germany – Trade with China displaced large parts of the American workforce in the 2000s, but Germany did not experience a similar shock at the time…

German of the day: 320 km/h

That means 199 mph.

A speeding motorist driving at 199 mph on Germany’s Autobahn is fined more than $1,000 – A motorist was clocked driving at more than 320 kph (199 mph) on the Autobahn west of Berlin, a record high at more than 124 mph above the speed limit, German police said.

The speedster, who was not identified, was caught while racing along the A2 highway near Burg on July 28.

The driver was handed a fine of 900 euros ($1,043), stripped of two points from his driver’s license and banned from driving for three months, the Magdeburg police office said Tuesday.

German of the day: Wahnhaft

That means delusional.

Merz ‘delusional’ over US sparing German cars in EU trade deal – Brussels has warned German chancellor not to expect UK-style carve-out for car sector in EU deal with Donald Trump.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is “delusional” in his expectation that Germany’s car industry will be spared from US tariffs, according to EU officials involved in trade talks with the Trump administration.

Merz has been pressing the European Commission, which manages trade policy on behalf of the EU’s 27 member states, to sign a “framework” deal with Washington aping the US-UK agreement signed earlier this month, which included a special dispensation for cars.

But Brussels officials have privately told Berlin that such an arrangement would not be possible, as reducing German car imports is a big focus for US President Donald Trump, two people briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times.

Tariffs don’t work…

Until they do.

Then an agreement is reached and the tariffs are lowered. We could ask Elon but this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.

Trump’s Tariffs Cost BMW $11 Million A Day, So Germans Want A Deal – European carmakers are losing millions daily to US tariffs despite American production bases.

Trade wars rarely end well for anyone involved, and when the crossfire hits the automotive industry, the damage adds up fast. Nowhere is that more evident than in Germany, where the ongoing tariff standoff is racking up some eye-watering costs. According to a new report, BMW is losing a staggering $11.3 (£8.4 / €10) million per day thanks to U.S. tariffs.

We will not give in!

We’ll just give up. Probably next week some time.

But we will not give in!

Germany leads defiance of Trump car tariffs, saying it ‘will not give in’ – President Donald Trump targets imported cars and car parts with a 25% tax in his latest tariffs.

Other major world economies have vowed to retaliate, with France’s president branding the move “a waste of time” and “incoherent”, Canada calling it a “direct attack”, and China accusing Washington of violating international trade rules.