Dear reader,
Behind the first Advent calendar door, EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas (47) had hidden a special treat for a large part of the European automotive industry: On Monday, the politician gave more than a little hint that Brussels will most likely overturn the “combustion engine phase-out” in 2035.
“We are open to all technologies,” Tzitzikostas told the “Handelsblatt” in the best Oliver Zipse manner. Mercedes boss Ola Källenius (56) recently lobbied particularly loudly for this. The members of the European car manufacturer association ACEA have now thanked the Swede with a second term as president for 2026.
Finally, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (70) did not write an incendiary letter, but rather a burning one, to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (67). According to their traffic commissioner, it was received “very positively”. Yes, is it Christmas already?
A few years ago, e-scooter rental companies were considered the next big thing. Investors threw ridiculous amounts of money at some scooter hopefuls, and start-ups like Tier Mobility reached billion-dollar valuations. But: Life is a roller coaster. Many providers crashed brutally; Tier, for example, was swallowed up by competitor Dott in an emergency deal. Voi, on the other hand, stayed afloat. Now the Swedes are switching to attack mode, especially in Germany: the goal is market leadership. My colleague Theo Harzer reports, how this can be done profitably
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Germany’s car market is unlikely to make any major leaps in the coming year either. The Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers
President Imelda Labbé (58) expects a maximum of 2.9 million new registrations in 2026, after around 2.83 million this year. According to Labbé, whether the market will grow at all depends on how the federal government defines the framework conditions for electric cars. The association demands that the announced purchase bonus, whenever it is officially introduced, would have to apply retroactively to the beginning of the year. Otherwise, the announcement could stall the market until launch.
Deepdrive: Mobility in Germany
Divide every six years Federal Ministry of Transport
different about how people get around in Germany. The results of the “Mobility in Germany 2023” study have recently been available. Compared to 2017, cycling and walking traffic in particular have increased. The Deutschlandticket has stabilized local public transport. Despite a slight decline in usage, number one remains far behind: the car.
Ghost driver of the week
Finally, back to the likely end of the combustion engine. Chancellor Merz is committed to ensuring that “highly efficient” combustion engines remain eligible for approval in the future. This raises the question: What is the exact definition of a “highly efficient” combustion engine? The federal government itself doesn’t seem to really know this. Confronted with this, several high-ranking government representatives recently embarrassed themselves at a meeting Federal press conference
. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius (60) finally provided the most telling and bitter answer: “Highly efficient combustion engines are combustion engines that are highly efficient.”
With this groundbreaking wisdom, I wish you a maximally efficient week.
Yours, Christoph Seyerlein
Do you have any wishes, suggestions or information that we should take care of journalistically? You can reach my colleagues in the Mobility team and me at manage.mobility@manager-magazin.de
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You can also find our newsletter “manage:mobility”. here on our website.