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The Car: the Germans' Favourite Pet

Germany is car country: last year, more than 790,000 people were employed in the world's third-largest automotive and components industry. It is no surprise that Europe's youngest fleet of cars is on the road here: German cars were an average of 7.2 years old in 2002. And the invention of the "self-propelling" car is ascribed to the Mannheim-based engine-builder Carl F. Benz, who obtained a patent for a three-wheel automobile from the Imperial Patent Office as early as 1886. At the same time, the engineers Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach were also working in secret on the motorisation of coaches and wheels in a garden shed in Cannstatt. Nothing, not even car-free Sundays or petrol prices above the one euro/litre mark, affects the relationship between the Germans and their prized prestige objects. More than 70 % of spending on petrol now goes to the state, and the eco-tax is hurting drivers. Despite this, the car industry is still doing well compared with other sectors. Last year, its turnover was more than 98 billion euros in Germany, and 145 billion outside the country. The German automotive industry association rightly speaks of a "key sector" with "test beds for new working-hour models and forms of remuneration". For example, the metal workers' trade union and the Volkswagen group succeeded in agreeing on the "5000 x 5000" pay and conditions system for the manufacture of the Touran minivan. The ongoing project aims to provide 5000 unemployed people with jobs at a wage corresponding to the 5000 marks agreed in 2001. The domestic car-makers are increasingly serving foreign markets. Only three of any ten manufactured units are sold in Germany; in the United States, one in ten passenger cars sold originates from a German manufacturer. It is true that last year more than 5 million cars were produced in factories in high-wage Germany. But the proportion of foreign production rose to more than 44 %. Apart from Volkswagen, all of the major car producers subscribe to the regional pay and conditions negotiated by the metal workers' union. The wages vary according to occupation and company-specific extras.

Beauty down to the rims

There is a demand for diversity. This year, Germany's car-makers are bringing more than 70 new models onto the market. The major shows like Geneva or the International Automobile Exhibition display what the industry is capable of. However, these events are targeted less at the private customer than at traders and experts. "The odd dad may turn up who fancies finding out what it feels like to sit in a Maybach," says Thomas Fischer, chief international reporter of the magazine Auto Motor und Sport. "The trend is away from traditional models towards the cross-over, e.g. the merging of estate car and van or of off-road vehicle and convertible," says Fischer. At the same time, the technical differences between premium brands and mass-market brands keep narrowing. Almost all of the major manufacturers are trying to enhance their image with a move into the field of luxury vehicles, however such vehicles are defined.

The dream of clean mobility

In large numbers, the car becomes a choking air-polluter. For this reason, the European Union has adopted several directives with emissions limits since 1970, covering not only carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, but also nitrous oxides and particulates. For example, as of July 1992 (Euro I), a petrol-driven car was permitted only to emit a maximum of 3.16 grams of carbon monoxide per kilometre, and since the beginning of 2000 (Euro III), only 2.3 grams per kilometre has been allowed. This amount is only 6 % of the level prevailing in the unregulated situation pre-1970. The next standard for light vehicles, Euro IV, will enter into force in 2005. It provides for a further cut in emissions of over 60 % in some cases. The development of low-consumption cars is thus a high priority. In 1999 Volkswagen launched a small vehicle, the Lupo, on the German market: it was the first car to consume less than 3 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres. The development of catalytic converters and improved engines has also contributed substantially to the reduction of emissions. The car industry managed to cut the average fuel consumption of light vehicles by nearly 19 % between 1990 and 2001. Today, particulates are the greatest problem, since they can cause serious respiratory diseases. Six firms from France, Italy and Japan now offer their diesel cars with particulate filters. The "No diesel without filter" initiative, an alliance of environmental and health associations, is forcing the industry to install particulate filters in all diesel engines and fuel-injection petrol engines in Germany too. And the major manufacturers, together with the component suppliers, the oil industry and scientific bodies, are researching alternative propulsion technologies, with the aim of developing a "zero emissions car". The engines run on fuels like natural gas, synthetic biomass fuels, hydrogen or solar energy.

Speed is the thing

Of course, the car is more than a means of transport: it is a symbol of leisure, fun and independence. According to the psychoanalyst Micha Hilgers, road traffic meets a need for excitement. In the battle on the roads, the punishments are insufficient compared with the danger caused to oneself and to other people. "Often, the car is a symbol of something that one isn't, but would like to be," explains Hilgers. And it is true that a few hours of driving lessons suffice to teach someone how to race along the autobahn, but teaching people how to understand the needs of other people on the road is neglected.

Economy and Social Matters

The Car: the Germans' Favourite Pet

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