Apropos corona-krisen, så viser nye tal for den tyske bilindustri, hvor afhængig industrilandene er blevet af Kina. De tyske bilfabrikker sælger flere biler i Kina end på hjemmemarkedet.
Uddrag fra Deutsche Bank:
German auto industry: Output in China exceeds domestic production
In 2019, German carmakers produced significantly more cars in China than at home. China remains by far the most important foreign production site for the German auto industry. While foreign production is likely to rise further, recent development of domestic production gives cause for concern.
2019 was the first year in which German carmakers produced considerably more passenger cars in China than at home (in 2018, production figures in China exceeded output in Germany only by a small margin).
While the aggregate car output by German companies in China fell by 0.9% during the past year, to 5.08 million vehicles, production in Germany slid for the second year in a row, by about 9% to only 4.67 million passenger cars. Thus, domestic production dropped below 5 million for the first time since the recession year 2009 and was lower than in any other year since 1996.
Source: VDA
During the last few years, China’s importance as a production site for the German car industry has steadily increased. Back in 2014, only about 4 million cars bearing a brand of German carmakers were produced in China.
There are many reasons why German companies are increasingly producing their cars abroad. Eastern European locations benefit from a cost advantage. In addition, investments abroad are often a way to get a foothold in local markets. This applies, for example, to China, where local content requirements make it necessary to ensure a certain degree of local value creation. Supply in the US, too, comes largely from US factories of German carmakers. Moreover, German companies deliver to other countries from the US. Foreign production sites also help to avoid tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers. For these reasons, German companies are likely to expand their foreign production further.