The Austrian Hans Dieter Pötsch, 68, has been at the top of the VW supervisory board for four years, previously he was a board member in Wolfsburg for twelve years.
Picture: Lucas Bäuml
VW supervisory board chief Pötsch talks about the tricky situation of the auto industry and business with autocrats. In the interview, he predicts: “For some suppliers, it could be tight.”
Mr. Pötsch, how serious is the situation for the automotive industry and thus for Germany’s prosperity?
Responsible editor for business and “Money & More” of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Industry has to face a number of challenges that we generally refer to as transformation: electromobility, Digitization, assistance systems. Then there is the difficult global environment. Keywords are trade conflicts, car tariffs, Brexit. This unusual mix is the real problem. We have no direct influence on many things, but we have to be prepared, which means: be so flexible that we are prepared for everything.
Thousands of jobs are being cut in the industry and there is already a call for a short-time rule like in the financial crisis.