Oliver Blume says Made in Europe rules to counter rapid rise of lower-price Chinese brands must reward real value creation
The boss of Volkswagen has backed EU proposals to boost its domestic industry, arguing European carmakers need to be able to compete under comparable conditions with Chinese rivals.
Oliver Blume said Made in Europe rules from the EU must reward real value creation in Europe, speaking in Paris before the motor show this week.
The rules are aimed at countering the rapid rise of Chinese brands in Europe in the automotive sector and other important manufacturing industries. Lower-priced Chinese manufacturers have prompted a crisis in several industries.
Volkswagen is among the most-affected European companies. Germanys biggest carmaker has launched a brutal plan to cut as many as 100,000 jobs . Blume said it was the largest transformation programme in its history.
The proposals for the Made in Europe rules, formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act, would limit subsidies and public procurement to products with a large proportion of their materials and manufacturing coming from within the EU.
Blume listed a litany of challenges facing European carmakers, saying: Europe is under enormous competitive pressure. These included: high energy costs; lower demand as consumers struggle with high inflation; the need to be quicker to develop cars; and intense competition from China .
On Friday, the EU said it had reached a landmark deal with China to halve its sales of hybrid cars in the bloc amid fears surging sales could kill off parts of the European car industry.
Blume said Germanys carmakers were happy to compete with Chinese rivals, but said the EU should try to reward businesses with significant European footprints.
Companies that invest and develop in Europe must see a clear benefit, he said.
Referring to Chinese companies, he added: Those who sell here should compete under comparable conditions and create jobs and value here in Europe, too.
Blume added: We believe in open markets, but openness also means standing up for our own interests in Europe. Because a strong industrial base means more than economic success. It protects technological independence.
Volkswagen is exhibiting at the Paris show for the first time in 20 years. Blume emphasised the close ties between France and Germany, while hosting the French industry minister, Sbastian Martin.
Arno Antlitz, VWs chief financial officer, said the job cuts were necessary to increase our economic power by increasing profitability and allowing it to defend its home turf.
The company is cutting the number of models it offers worldwide from 150 to 75 across brands including Audi and 07koda. It hopes the move will reduce complexity in its factories and for dealers, cutting the cost of each vehicle it makes.
On Sunday, it revealed the production version of its ID Tiguan, an electric edition of its bestselling family SUV.
奥博穆表示，为应对中国低价品牌迅速崛起而制定的“欧洲制造”规则，“必须奖励真正的价值创造”。
大众汽车掌门人支持欧盟提振本土产业的提议，认为欧洲汽车制造商需要能够在“可比的条件下”与中国竞争对手展开竞争。
奥利弗·布鲁姆本周在巴黎车展前夕表示，欧盟的“欧洲制造”规则“必须奖励欧洲真正的价值创造”。
这些规则旨在应对中国品牌在欧洲汽车行业及其他重要制造业领域的迅速崛起。价格更低的中国制造商已在多个行业引发了危机。
大众汽车是受影响最严重的欧洲企业之一。这家德国最大的汽车制造商已启动一项严厉计划，拟裁减多达10万个工作岗位。布鲁姆表示，这是其“历史上最大规模的转型计划”。
“欧洲制造”规则（正式名称为《工业加速器法案》）的提案将限制补贴和公共采购的范围，仅面向那些原材料和制造环节大部分来自欧盟内部的产品。
布卢姆列举了欧洲汽车制造商面临的一系列挑战，并表示：“欧洲正承受着巨大的竞争压力。”这些挑战包括：能源成本高昂；消费者因高通胀而购买力下降，导致需求低迷；需要加快汽车研发速度；以及来自中国的激烈竞争。
周五，欧盟表示已与中国达成一项具有里程碑意义的协议，旨在将其混合动力汽车在欧盟的销量减半，原因是担心销量激增可能摧毁欧洲汽车工业的部分领域。
布卢姆表示，德国汽车制造商乐于与中国竞争对手展开竞争，但同时也指出，欧盟应设法奖励那些在欧洲拥有重要业务布局的企业。
他表示：“在欧洲投资和发展的公司必须看到明确的益处。”
在谈到中国企业时，他补充道：“那些在这里销售的企业，应当在同等条件下竞争，并在欧洲本地创造就业机会和价值。”
布卢姆补充道：“我们相信开放市场，但开放也意味着在欧洲维护我们自身的利益。因为强大的工业基础不仅仅意味着经济上的成功，它还保障了技术上的独立。”
大众汽车时隔20年首次亮相巴黎车展。布卢姆在接待法国工业部长塞巴斯蒂安·马丁时，强调了“法德两国之间的紧密联系”。
大众汽车首席财务官阿诺·安特利茨表示，裁员是必要的，旨在通过提升盈利能力来“增强我们的经济实力”，并使其能够捍卫“本土市场”。
该公司正在将其在全球提供的车型数量从150款削减至75款，涉及品牌包括奥迪和斯柯达。公司希望此举能降低工厂及经销商运营的复杂性，从而削减每辆车的制造成本。
周日，该公司发布了其ID Tiguan的量产版，这是其畅销家用SUV的电动版。
