Der alte Traum vom privaten Glück – Die Autoindustrie als Teil eines vergangenen Gesellschaftsentwurfs

For decades, the private car has enjoyed a privileged position in society thanks to a car-friendly infrastructure and legal and fiscal advantages. But meanwhile there is simply too much of the same. It is not only the climate crisis that demands a comprehensive transformation of transport. The private car no longer stands for social participation and private happiness. More and more people in cities and outlying areas are finding the former joy of driving to be an annoying duty. Mobility in town and country today is seen as being more diverse than the fixation on the private car. However, the automotive industry, for long a success story, is now struggling to transform its old business model. Alone the changes made to the drive train massively disconcert the established routines of engineers. The introduction of new ways of using the car as shown on digital platforms or even the transition from fully automated vehicles to autonomous fleets will not – or cannot – be managed by the German automotive industry on its own. In order to preserve the technological competence and the important employment effects of the automotive industry, the impetus for change must come from outside. A historical look at the success story of the automobile shows that political regulation is the key.