Chancellor Angela Merkel called on German car industry to clean up its act for the sake of it employees and the wider economy as she opened the Frankfurt motor show on Thursday, pointing to threats on the horizon to the combustion engine.
"A lot of trust has been destroyed. That is why the industry must do everything to win back confidence, in its own interest and that of employees and German industry," Merkel said.
Merkel noted that the Volkswagen emissions scandal had broken just after she opened the car show two years ago, adding that the industry faced many challenges, such as suggestions that China might eventually ban combustion engines.
She predicted that combustion engine cars would still be needed for decades as demand was booming in many parts of the world, while German automakers were also making strides to roll out new electric models.
