In an interview with “Bild am Sonnntag” Blume made it clear that overcapacities are being put to the test worldwide. In view of the decline in operating results, Blume emphasized that the world markets had completely shifted. “Developing, building and then exporting vehicles in Germany no longer works,” said the CEO to “Bild am Sonntag”. The different regions of the world have changed too much.

Around 50,000 jobs are to be cut in Germany by 2030

Blume confirmed the goal of cutting around 50,000 jobs in Germany in a socially acceptable manner by 2030. Regarding reports of possible factory closures, he said: “We will continue to review capacities in the future.” Overcapacity costs money, which is why the plants have been linked to “clear factory cost targets”. This applies not only to Germany and Europe, but also to China.

According to Blume, “Made in Germany” will continue to be worthwhile in the future, but the costs are too high. “We have a higher cost structure, including wage costs. And we have to compensate for that with higher productivity,” he demanded. He also criticized the political framework: “We have energy costs that are too high and regulations that are too high.” Despite the current crisis, he sees rays of hope: the order backlog has increased significantly and the products are being well received. Nevertheless, the message remains clear: “The renovation is continuing,” Blume told BamS.