How Germany’s Auto Industry Went Off the Rails — and the Roadmap for its Reinvention
The first insider book to diagnose the crisis, analyze the challengers — and deliver a concrete transformation roadmap.
Non-fiction · approx. 240 pages · Publishing Q4/2026
Content Overview
Four Parts — One Mission
Part 1: Crash Investigation
From Dieselgate to the China shock — how Germany’s flagship industry lost its footing. A journey through 30 years of automotive history: from the rise to global leadership (when German automakers accounted for up to 40% of all DAX profits), through the China boom (from 2M to 34M vehicles), the diesel shock and political meltdown, to the combustion engine ban. The book analyzes five structural weaknesses that brought the industry to the edge of catastrophe — and shows how China, strategically and deliberately, overtook it from the left.
Part 2: The Mobility of Tomorrow
Mobility 2.0 (autonomous, software-defined vehicles) and 3.0 (eVTOLs) — the game-changers reshaping the industry. A deep-dive into the strategies of Tesla, BYD, Xiaomi, and Huawei. Five provocative theses on the future of mobility and why we urgently need bolder thinking in industry, politics, and society.
Part 3: Operation Phoenix
The strategic turnaround playbook: adapt China speed, defend core strengths, embrace deeper collaboration, and pursue relentless customer focus — with concrete measures and case studies. A tangible roadmap for transforming established giants into agile competitors, building a future-ready operating model, and developing competitive cost structures.
Part 4: Three Scenarios
Future visions for 2030/2035 — the silent retreat, Fortress Europe, or the Phoenix rises. The patient is ill, but not yet beyond recovery — provided the treatment begins now and is radical enough.
Why this Book?
The German automotive industry — once Germany’s most powerful economic engine, with 770,000 direct employees — is in an existential crisis. BYD now sells more electric vehicles than Germany’s entire automotive output. Xiaomi brought its first production vehicle to market profitably in under three years. Decision-makers in industry, politics, and labor organizations urgently need grounded analysis and viable solutions. This book delivers both.
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