At 1.1 percent, the contraction was much sharper in the car industry, Germany's second-largest employer after machine tool making. "The fall in car production means Germany continues to lose significance in the global auto industry," said study author Ferdinand Dudenhöffer of the Center Automotive Research. "In a simple image, Donald Trump is putting workers in the German car industry on shorter hours," Dudenhoeffer said. Germany's share of production has contracted as the country's powerful car manufacturers have grown their operations abroad, he added. The expert also forecast that German car production would begin growing again in 2021 after bottoming out next year.

Source: The Local December 16, 2019 10:07 UTC