Electrified future. Its not an option anymore to say it wont happen weve crossed the line its happening. The question isnt what type of engine is better or more environmentally friendly the car industry is in the throes of unprecedented change and germany risks being left behind the worlds biggest car market in china is powering an electric vehicle revolution and building the cars it needs itself. Over trying to preserve jobs come hell or high water and sectors where i can see that World Markets have already moved those sectors in a new direction its the worst mistake you can make. The world has made up its mind has germany the birthplace of the automobile and a proud car culture. That can do that will do we know how to build a Diesel Engine ours are probably the best in the world we can also build Combustion Engines the question is does the world still need them. Is germany prepared for the future. Were in berrigan this was once norways most polluted intersection don marks plus the junction of 2 major transport routes now the citys biggest electric vehicle charging station is located here. Do you feel like a pioneer do you feel quite normal what normal is its more 3 birds that dont have to pay the full grown folks have to go through a gas station and its only if thats what i would say as well it doesnt work because its so complicated although. Its not all that will you have a go back to an engine car doesnt it then. No other country in the world has more electric cars per capita than norway 65 percent of all new cars sold here are electric or hybrid models the figures just 7 percent in germany its not a coincidence its political will norway wants to be a pioneer it seems climate protection as an opportunity for its economy not a threat its already world leader in a mission Free Technology for ships. Drivers of electric cars enjoy Tax Exemptions for free or cheap or Public Parking and the use of bus lanes charging stations and parking garages are standard. I meet up with christina who her association represents the interests of norwegian electric car owners her voice counts not just in norway german politicians and industry executives have also sought her advice. This clear. Which is for the consumers also a clear sign that this is this is where were going and this is this is the future im really sick of hearing Car Manufacturers blaming consumers saying consumers are not ready if someone asked me if i wanted a smart phone before it was launched i would have understood even. If someone up now want to take me at the smartphone 2 way for me i would have you know its the same with electric mobility the norwegian case show that if prices level consumers are more than ready to go electric so dont blame us dont blame the consumers to do the job. In oslo 77 percent of all new cars sold are electric within a year Carbon Dioxide emissions have dipped by 9 percent. Norway didnt invent the Battery Powered car in fact alternatives to can bust in engines have been around for a long time in 1975 mercedes rolled out its 1st emission for event. In 1976 mark the birth of books wagons electric gold. B. M. W. Launched its a one in the early 1990 s. D. S. We showcased our 1st electric cars at the 1972 Olympic Games and are going to be a company like a marathon run we now have 20 years of experience under our belt and i think weve mastered the technology. Gets give us 5 maybe 10 years then well be ready like. Im going to say whats a. 27 years later and were still not ready germany is nowhere near to reaching its 2020 climate goals which foresee a 1000000 electric vehicles on its roads next year and stead were still debating. Our threshold set in stone. Is the Diesel Engine. Then its tattered reputation. Art electric cars polluters and other ways. The Geneva Motor ShowStomping Ground of the tradition conscious car industry here nothing seems out of order. After all. Is unveiling a band its electric. Unfortunately its not for sale yet. And then it presents the 53435 horsepower 212 grams of c o 2 per kilometer this is on ground that makes me feel like i can say anything at any time thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. To date most german electric vehicles have been hybrids big heavy and above all expensive prices start at 70000. 00 euros the premium segment has a quote higher price elasticity which is another way of saying it reaps bigger profits for managers and shareholders. Small affordable mass market ready german manufacturers have been slow on the uptake. Carnations germany is evidently in no hurry to join the revolution. Its counting on tried and tested technology on slow change. As a seasoned expert on the Auto Industry hes growing increasingly concerned. I think german car makers have a 5050 chance of surviving this the worlds it could be that germany is simply a victim of its own success. But on the whole with its auto manufacturers industry and political backing it was too comfortable. Nice the changes and draw the correct conclusions. To see in. Germany has yet to produce a master plan for coping with the changing Automobile Industry maybe because change is the opposite of what the government and carmakers have bonded over. Some 800000 jobs are directly dependent on the Auto Industry many more are indirectly dependent. Annual turnover. Over 400000000000 euro is. One reason why german politicians have long worked to avert any threat to the car industry protecting the sector from sudden disruptive change. Judging by the one. In 2018 the german chancellor addressed an annual gathering of german industry deep. Team a deal if you go we cannot alter the climate goals that weve set for ourselves and to an extent adopted as part of european climate targets as a whole particularly for 2035. The n. B. A. I look for anything beyond those efforts threatens to drive the Auto Industry out of europe com makers would produce the cars they sell here somewhere else i stress that i do not want that to happen. Is change necessarily a threat when it comes to the Auto Industry the German Government seems to think so we came from a middle and will use all means to fight restrictions as in driving bans our goal is to avoid driving bans and shape the future of mobility in a way that includes clean Combustion Engines. Clean Combustion Engines a flexible concept in germany driving bans a red flag threatening to curtail open roads for free citizens. The diesel emissions scandal showed anger in germany. The Auto Industry stalled and then cheated then covered it up. And then cities imposed driving restrictions. Waiting for compensation germanys yellow vests feel betrayed by corporations and punished by politicians. Automotive freedom subsidized diesel fuel commuter allowances incentives to sweeten life in the suburbs. But now they say theyre footing the bill for mistakes made by industry and government. Saying no its not like that its not true of course they cheated and v. W. Has to answer for that but we cant all be punished as a result of. This well have a huge impact on germany for years to come affecting the industry and. All the way down to the. Germany failed to get in the drivers seat and forge a path for others to follow. It may prove an existential mistake because while we germans are still arguing about past emissions the rest of the world is already on the road to a new era. China the worlds biggest and most important market. Its still growing. German carmakers helped our mass motor ization here and made a lot of money in the command of market share of 23. 2 percent in the Combustion Engine sector but just 0. 4 percent in the electric car sector and thats a problem. No one can beat germany when it comes to technology for diesel and gasoline engines it has 130 years of experience. But when it comes to electric vehicles everyone is taking off from the same starting line and china is racing ahead. By 2025 beijing wants about 25 percent of cars sold annually to be plug in hybrids or Battery Powered not least because the country is suffocating in small. But 25 percent in china equals the combined total of new cars sold in germany france and britain its a giant piece of the pie a pile that if germany isnt careful will be divided up among others. China aims to stop selling Combustion Engine cars in 11 years. Ive arranged to meet a german top manager who spent years at b. M. W. He helped develop the i ate a small electric revolution of the time. But then he turned his back on germany and came to china. He took out his Development Team with him. What opportunities did cost and brightfield identify here that he didnt see and germany. As you know the vehicle is doing things happen in china at lightning speed its a gigantic market with 30000000. 00 new cars sold each year and theres a ton of capital and investors in china and the issue has strong government backing in china if the government says more electric cars are the goal when the decision is made to install 50000. 00 charging stations and by the next month are in place one of them so normally the follow up question in any interview is does that mean im against democracy and naturally i say no im not but if i look at the european democratic structures then i see how we spend about a decade discussing new ideas and after a decade all thats left is 10 percent of the original idea so we need to realize that if we maintain that pace of Decision Making and realization that we just wont be able to keep up rest of Global Developments going on with things from. For killing in. Las vegas the annual c. B. S. Trade show spotlights high Tech Innovations from around the world. Before his current venture cost and dr phil helped build this car for chinese startup by. German manufacturing expertise lots of cash and unlimited government backing the ingredients china is using to power ahead on the market the mbai is a 40000. 00 euro electric s. U. V. With a one meter 20 screen a tablet on wheels for video conferences or Online Shopping past the time in traffic jams get set for production late 2019. Where sadies is here to with a glass prototype. The mid range Combustion Engine cars on the other hand can be purchased. B. M. W. Also has a vision the i next electric driving with a shag carpet its not for sale. I mean even other high profile german who jumped ship called thomas no money was on the books wagon ford. C. E. O. Of continental and then opel. Now he lives in the u. S. Where hes launched a startup. Is this really the dawn of a new era dawn of a new era and down here we have the biggest s. U. V. That b. M. W. Has ever built is not emblematic of the Current Situation in the german car industry. But sure you could say that its kind of symbolic of whats going on. So i mean it certainly looks more like a dinosaur than futuristic. But the dinosaurs arent nearing extinct. Theyre still successful money makers in the Twilight Zone the Combustion Engine. Can success hinder progress. Yes this is the german Auto Industry being held back by its own success i do think thats a big part of it yes its hard to give up that success and say to some extent i have to destroy that success to create a new one its ones now you werent exactly in a bad position at opel to make a start why didnt you. If otoh you did try to enter you know i would have liked to fully electrify opel because when the emissions scandal hit i realized its not enough to just get here to the laws you need to develop a new mindset that im in the mindset i would have liked for opel would have been able to full switch to electric car production by 2030. Then we could have gone to lawmakers and said hey we need the framework so that this can work we both need to make sure this happens jobs will be lost but new ones will be created and electric vehicles will give rise to new Business Opportunities but where is this being discussed in germany or even in europe. Maybe we germans simply cant part with their gas guzzlers yet because theyre our invention and so slick. Perfect machines with High Precision parts that just keep Getting Better stronger heavier. 2. 5 tons german engineering genius the most complex driving machine in history. An electric car doesnt need all that instead of an estimated 2000 moving parts it has just 200 simply beneath our dignity. Carnation germany appears comatose its as if all the changes have nothing to do with us alternative engines Driverless Cars new visions of transport. Why cant we catch up. We are a country of engineers perfection took us to the top. And continuity kept us there. Changes exactly the opposite. I have an appointment with a cot now he chairs a Government Advisory Panel on research and innovation. And he has an explanation for whats gone wrong in germany. As you know what you have to work hard to attain the status of innovation leader the danger is that once youve made it to the top and there is a reversal then you get the socalled lock in effect the lock in effect means im trapped inside and can barely see a way out apart from extremely high expenditure so in the case of the Auto Industry we are now at the top of our game in fossil fuel powered cars no one comes close. But stepping out of that comfort zone towards other types of engines is associated with very high costs conversion costs transaction costs and thats called luck and thats what we have here in the german Auto Industry and thats the challenge. Is to be very how should policymakers be steering developments. In processes of deep structural change the government has a responsibility to secure peoples incomes but not their jobs and no one should get left behind amid such structural change there needs to be a safety net somewhere. Else jobs are trying to preserve jobs and sectors where i can see that World Markets have already moved those sectors in a new direction is the worst mistake you can make. It cant have escaped anyones notice that things are moving in a new direction in the sector diesel gate the emissions crisis theoretically a good time to be mapping out a Transformation Plan for policy makers to more of the same cant be the answer in a world undergoing radek. Change others call the shots why is germany like a rudderless ship the german transport minister didnt have time to answer our questions instead we speak to junior minister. Our country is closely connected to the Automotive Industry so we need to consider the impact that major transformations will have on jobs. For us this transformation is a process of evolution not revolution and were managing quite well. But isnt it precisely because of that responsibility that we should be driving innovation. Weve backed ambitious climate targets weve always pursued Ambitious Goals at the european level which our Automotive Industry then has to implement. But there have been times when it seemed there was little Political Support for the most ambitious climate. Proposals within the europe wide debate that we dont consider productive. In my view should not be that we decide today. What transport will look like in germany in the years 20252030 or 2050 develop in the coming years. Developments in the wrong direction. When the car industry does well germany does well this old adage is a cornerstone of government policy. But what happens in the decades symbiotic relationship between government and industry can no longer provide answers to todays challenges and the climate crisis. Is one of germanys leading researchers in the field of transport. The german Auto Industry we are currently. 6700000 jobs that we still have because were protecting something that has no chance of survival. Of the German Government to keep us as a nation of car makers competitive. Makers have had a Long Term Plan please everybody. With the good life and even better if everyone buys german Cars Technology with gasoline and Diesel Engines german inventions thats what weve been pushing. The danger. The limit is the political if we continue this policy then well be overtaken because the world around us is different people and countries and above all cities elsewhere in the world have long since made the decision to phase out Combustion Engines and switch to battery operated cars. If we dont play along well lose crucial export markets and well be sitting on technologies and cars that no one needs anymore. The. Kind of. Thats a problem and its accelerating all germany slams on the brakes. Civic 0 in the eastern state of saxony has a long tradition of building cars b. W. Opened a plant here in 1990 the gold has been rolling off its Assembly Line for years. But its days are numbered change is coming probably also because a pioneer sounds better than emissions chief volkswagen needs a new image. Its vehicles are responsible for 2 percent of global Carbon Dioxide emissions the worlds biggest carmaker wants to change that its now taking climate goals like paris 2050 seriously and electric vehicles are the future. Us helped devise the plan hes chief strategist had folks walk into a close associate of c. E. O. Have at d. C. He filled a new position at b. W. It never had a strategist before. We know what you call a strategy that propagates diesel cars for decades and then suddenly says the future is electric. For starters one doesnt rule out the other weve never said diesel cars have lost their relevance. But in view of the challenges we all face to meet the paris targets and bring down c o 2 levels v. W. As a mass market producer really has no other choice. But i think but are we in germany reacting fast enough given the speed of developments around the world. Here every technological transformation comes with teething problems whenever you rebuild something it takes 3 days before you get to run smoothly and another 3 days before you get used to it. Its all i dont get the feeling this will take 3 days yeah its what symbolically speaking the ball is. It can doubtlessly be sped up the. Speed is what the car Industry Needs now its had its foot on the brakes for too long. B. W. Is mass market electric model the id 3 will be built in saco. The company is funneling 400000000 euros into the facilities conversion. But the switch to electric will make engine builders exhaust fitters field pump experts redundant. So b. W. Is sending them on what it calls a learning journey to prepare for the future. And long Term Employees will have new tasks. This is where the specialists are trained in a roleplay room called emotion. After a look back at the Company History trainees get a vision of the future with virtual reality. These. Are. Not. Just an experience that everyone at this plant is slated to share. Because it was based on what you know so far do you think youre in for a big change. This week it will be a big change for everyone here. I mean w. Is proud. Out of the 17000 orders for electric vehicles but thats just the start the Company Builds 44000 vehicles every day. Says. Change is coming but what about the german Auto Industry and government policy can we afford to be complacent or worse yet without a plan. China is building its own fleet of electric cars german engineers are helping. Now german car makers want change faster than the government. The transport minister calls folks bargains plan totally wrong and wants to keep an open technological mind. A look at norway Shows Government backed change gets results. So do clearly formulated goals of what we are telling you how fast it goes yes and it be showing how fast that is so for the car in the street the selling cars and all the fuses they have to be serious thats where they go and i was hoping up so thats just a message we have to make it happen fast and every country will benefit from being in the forefront of this change said the lightning behind. Its the end of an era but also the beginning of something new and the sooner we accept that and sees it as an opportunity the better. Us will become all of this can be done if theres a will to get it done and if we just sit back and wait to see what happens then well face major problems and i think were already seeing the 1st signs of those problems today. If car nation germany doesnt look to the future than others will shape its future industry and governments have sat back too long. More of the same is no model for the future we need to hit the road. Kill that volume or thats hard and in the end its a me youre not allowed to stay here any more we mustnt do that. Are you familiar with this. New smugglers with lions. Whats your story. Ready on what numbers of women especially in victims of violence. Take part and send us your story we are trying in all ways to understand this new culture. Not a visitor nothing yet you want to become a citizen. In so migrants your platform for reliable information. This is d w news live from berlin tonight Hurricane Dorian wreaking havoc in the bahamas one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the islands is now heading for the United States around a 1000000 residents there have been told to leave their homes also coming up tonight in the battle over bricks it u. K. Prime minister Boris Johnson says he doesnt want to call in the likes