Suche
Mein Konto
Thuringia's auto industry in crisis: E-cars are booming, jobs are at risk!
In 2025, Thuringia's auto industry will struggle with challenges from the electric car boom, falling new registrations and supplier problems.
Thuringia's auto industry in crisis: E-cars are booming, jobs are at risk!
There is currently a lot of excitement in the auto industry in Thuringia. The pressure on domestic manufacturers is increasing while at the same time electric cars are booming and East German factories are taking a leading role in Europe. Nevertheless, as reported Thuringia 24, the industry is faced with falling demand for new cars. As a result, automotive suppliers are in distress and many companies, including in Thuringia, have to close.
What is particularly noteworthy is that almost every second electric car in Germany is manufactured in East Germany. Jens Katzek, who speaks of the “Automotive Cluster East Germany”, emphasizes how important the location is for electric car production. Despite successes such as the Opel plant in Eisenach, the reality looks bleak. Current figures report a 15 percent decline in new car registrations in Germany compared to the values before the 2019 corona pandemic. This development is also hitting suppliers hard and is causing thousands of jobs to falter.
The numbers speak for themselves
In May 2025, a total of 239,297 new cars were registered in Germany, a slight increase of 1.2 percent compared to the previous year. Electromobility is playing an increasingly important role. The share of electric cars in new registrations was an impressive 18 percent, with over 43,000 newly registered vehicles, which corresponds to an increase of 45 percent compared to the same month last year ADAC reported. Nevertheless, the total number of electric cars in Germany is only 3.3 percent of the more than 61 million registered vehicles.
Volkswagen dominates the popularity scale of new registrations. The best-selling models in May were the VW Golf, the VW T-Roc and the VW Tiguan. When it comes to electric cars, the VW ID.7, VW ID.3 and Škoda Elroq models top the list. In addition, the BYD company, which only became active in Germany in 2022, has impressed with an 800 percent increase in new registrations - a real ray of hope amid the industry's challenges.
A look into the future
Politically speaking, Germany has clearly prepared itself for the switch from combustion engines to electric motors. The EU decision of 2023, which determines that no new gasoline and diesel cars will be registered from 2035, sets the direction. There should be 15 million electric cars on the roads by 2030. It currently looks as if almost two million electric cars will have to be newly registered every year in order to achieve this goal, reports Statista.
But the rising purchase costs and the still limited range of electric cars are still major obstacles. A survey shows that 75 percent of consumers are concerned about potential increases in electricity prices, which will impact operating costs. In 2023, the share of renewable energies in the electricity produced in Germany was already 54 percent, which represents a step in the right direction.
In summary: The automotive industry in Thuringia is facing major challenges, but the rise of electric vehicles and market developments also offer new opportunities. It remains to be seen whether companies will be able to emerge from this crisis stronger. One thing is certain – the next few years will be crucial for the future of mobility in Germany.