Saturday, January 02, 2021
"Almost everyone can survive"
Audi boss speaks out against state aid
In the current Corona crisis, many branches of the economy in Germany are doing badly. The auto industry is also struggling with a decline in sales. But Audi boss Duesmann does not worry that much. He sees the situation in other industries much more seriously.
Audi CEO Markus Duesmann does not consider further government funding for automobile manufacturers to be appropriate. The corona crisis is gnawing at the profits in the industry, said Duesmann of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung". "But almost all companies – manufacturers and suppliers – can survive," said the manager.
On the general economic situation, the auto manager said in the interview: "I used to be a drummer, that's why I still know the normal world: If there are no gigs, no beer is sold, then everything dies." Nothing is currently going on in retail, and especially in the catering and cultural sectors: "That hurts me a lot. That's tragic. It's not tragic that we have ten percent less sales volume."
Duesmann also commented on the SUV debate. The large-format sports cars caused some "fears" in Europe due to their size. It is true that the vehicles performed better in pedestrian crash tests and were also asked about by customers. "But they seem incompatible with narrow cities." Audi is therefore developing new vehicle concepts that are less bulky, stressed Duesmann. He himself prefers other models anyway: "I don't need an SUV, I don't drive one."
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