Dulig: "There is no way around e-cars"

Economy Minister Martin Dulig has shown himself to be open to alternatives to the electric car. "There can't be just one perfect solution," explained the SPD politician on Sunday. He is committed to technological openness. However, in his view, a later end to new cars with combustion engines alone would not help anyone. "After all, Chinese e-car competitors are currently catching up fast, especially in the field of e-mobility. We must not lose this important market."

In order for Germany to achieve its long-term climate targets, more efforts are needed in the transport sector, emphasized Dulig. This requires vehicles with alternative drive systems. Saxony's automotive industry is one of the pioneers in electric cars. This year, production in the state is expected to increase from 253,000 e-cars last year to around 320,000.

He expects this trend to continue, said Dulig. With triple-digit million investments in battery module production at the brand locations and upstream suppliers, the roadmap is clear: "There is no way around electromobility."

Recently, some politicians had questioned the phase-out of combustion engines for new cars. The EU had agreed in 2022 that no new cars powered by petrol or diesel would be registered from 2035. A review is planned for 2026. The chairman of the Christian Democratic EPP group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, declared a few weeks ago that he wanted to overturn the ban on combustion engines. The FDP is also pushing for cars powered exclusively by climate-friendly e-fuels to be exempt.