Hyperdrive

German Carmakers Shouldn’t Fear Their Asian Rivals, Scholz Says

  • Chancellor talks up wealth of domestic engineering expertise
  • BYD overtook VW this year as top-selling Chinese automaker

Olaf Scholz

Photographer: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Germany’s carmakers to embrace competition from Asian rivals and not be intimidated by the rise of China’s electric-vehicle manufacturers.

“Competition should spur us on, but not scare us,” Scholz said Tuesday in a speech at the IAA auto show in Munich, insisting that “there is no question about the international competitiveness of Germany as a car nation.”