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Munich (dpa) - According to the Ifo business survey, the business of German car manufacturers and their suppliers went better in April than they have been for two years.
The business situation index rose from 10.7 to 21.6 points, and the expectations of the car managers rose from 18.6 to 24.9 index points.
"The car manufacturers have now overcome their corona low," said Ifo survey leader Klaus Wohlrabe on Tuesday in Munich.
Demand and order backlog have increased significantly compared to March, in the export business the car manufacturers expected increases, the production should be increased further. According to the Ifo Institute, capacity utilization rose to a good 91 percent. However, in the meantime more than 60 percent of the companies surveyed complained about problems with the preliminary products - that is currently “the big issue”. Several automobile plants have registered short-time work due to a lack of silicon chips.
Because carmakers need fewer employees to manufacture electric cars, they generally plan with fewer employees despite good business operations: "The employment plans continue to provide for job cuts."
The ambitious EU climate policy is forcing the industry to "invest heavily in the production of electric vehicles, which in the long term is less labor-intensive," explained the economic researchers.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210504-99-460135 / 2