However, even with growing sales, automakers plan more than 40,000 jobs cuts in the coming years, with Opel Automobile GmbH the latest to announce 2,100 voluntary departures on Tuesday. HIGH-END SUPREMACY“German manufacturers are well-positioned with their premium brands,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, industry expert at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Both premium manufacturers’ figures were massively boosted by China, with Mercedes sales there growing 6.2 percent and BMW 13.1 percent year-on-year. SUV DOMINANCEFor all the German automakers, last year brought new strides for the dominance of SUVs in sales figures. “It’s perfectly clear that SUVs drive sales and profits for the carmakers,” Stefan Bratzel of the Center of Automotive Management said.

Source: Taipei Times January 18, 2020 15:56 UTC