Do you know this joke? – Four students sit in a car that won’t start: the chemist checks the fuel, the electrical engineer inspects the battery, the mechanical engineer looks at the spark plugs. And the computer scientist? He says: “Let’s all get out, get back in, and restart.”
That exact trick worked for my own vehicle, a German upper‑mid‑range model, for quite a while. Whenever error messages suddenly flashed across the display at start‑up, the IT move reliably helped. Restart, and everything was fine.
Until now.
After our summer break, the car was thoroughly disgruntled. Not a sound. The mobility guarantee in my leasing contract promised help, but the workshop reported: “All systems down.” A sentence that, in today’s digital world, almost sounds normal.
By early evening the car was finally towed away, and I received a replacement vehicle. The driver simply remarked: many German brands are currently struggling with electrical issues.
I take it with humour. The hairdresser appointment was cancelled, but not my composure.
For years I’ve been following the transformation of the automotive industry: software competence, battery research, e‑mobility. Because developments in the automotive sector are accelerating so rapidly, I don’t buy a car anymore, but lease it for three years. And then I see what comes next.
Behind my anecdote lies a hard reality. When a computer‑science joke becomes a realistic repair strategy, it reveals a structural problem: German car manufacturers are losing technological ground. And precisely in the areas where the future will be decided.
The decision about my next vehicle is becoming more difficult not only because of my own mobility needs. It is becoming more difficult because an entire industry must reinvent itself. And that fits today’s headline on 4 September 2026:
“Cutting 50,000 jobs, four plants at risk and that’s not all. VW has launched a gigantic savings program.”
And now my question: How do you see the future of the German automotive industry?
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I am Bernd Scharbert, author of Prepare for Landing: Leitlinien für interkulturelle Führung, and I support and advise leaders on integrative leadership.
At Albstadt‑Sigmaringen University, I teach Business Ethics and Sustainability within the Faculty of Business Science and Management. As part of our discussions on e‑mobility, we also examine the challenges facing the German automotive industry.
