Merkel Admits Germany Won't Meet 1 Million Electric-Car Target

  • German consumers snub $1.5 billion incentive for green autos
  • Smartphones show that technology adoption can surge: Merkel

QuickTake: The Drive Towards Cleaner Cars

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that a plan to have 1 million electric cars on the country’s roads by 2020 won’t work out, even as the automakers that make up the nation’s biggest manufacturing sector prepare a slew of emissions-free models.

“The way it’s looking at the moment, we won’t meet that target,” Merkel said Monday at a parliamentary event in Berlin. “But we also know from smartphones and similar things that the adoption of technological developments can suddenly take off exponentially.”