last year saw carmakers complain that falling global demand is eating into their business just as massive investments are needed in research and development frankfurt am main carmakers built just 47 million cars in germany in 2019 industry data showed monday squeezing production to its lowest level since 1997 as uschina trade tensions sapped vital foreign markets the powerful vda carmakers club said output had tumbled nine percent yearonyear blaming weaker international demand for the fall the lower appetite from abroad comes on top of demanding technological change and tighter emissions restrictions complicating life for carmakers long a pillar of europes largest economy advt with consumer spending buttressing the domestic market even as economic growth slowed new registrations of cars on german roads booked an increase of five percent at 36 million but auto exports from germany to the rest of the world fell even more sharply than production tumbling 13 percent to 35 million the fall in car production means germany continues to lose significance in the global auto industry said ferdinand dudenhoeffer of the center automotive research around the world car markets have been battered by the effects of the american trade conflict with china last year saw carmakers complain that falling global demand is eating into their business just as massive investments are needed in research and development companies are pumping cash into hightech projects like automated driving and switching focus to hybrid or allelectric vehicles from internal combustion engines as they race to meet new emissions limits and structural factors threatening the auto firms pride of place in the german economy are also at work where in 1998 close to 12 percent of all cars sold worldwide were produced in europes powerhouse the share has shrunk to below six percent in 2019 dudenhoeffer said meanwhile electric motors require less manpower to assemble than their hydrocarbonburning predecessors threatening some of the roughly 800000 car industry jobs in germany advt also monday figures from the kba transport authority showed suvs overtaking compact cars as the most popular class of models on the domestic market many suvs are built not in germany but in factories operated by the countrys multinational carmakers overseas that in turn makes the companies more vulnerable to upsets in international trade in a study published in december dudenhoeffer forecast that german car production would begin growing again in 2021 after bottoming out this year afp pms pms pti published on jan 6 2020 at 1033 pm ist telegram facebook copy link be the first one to comment comment now comments comment now read comment 1 all comments post post find this comment offensive choose your reason below and click on the submit button this will alert our moderators to take actions reasons for reporting foul language defamatory inciting hatred against a certain community out of context spam others report join the community of 2m industry professionals subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights analysis download etauto app get realtime updates save