The problems in the supply chains continue, many raw materials have become more expensive: This is a burden for German automotive groups, among others. But experts also see rays of hope.
Vienna. Germany’s automotive industry keeps making headlines. The lockdowns in China led to supply bottlenecks for electronic parts, while the Ukraine war made the prices of many raw materials more expensive. There are also events at company level, for example at Volkswagen. On July 22, the group announced that CEO Herbert Diess Retire at the beginning of September and will be replaced by Oliver Blume. Blume is the head of the sports car subsidiary Porsche. The news initially caused skepticism among investors.
Philipp Stumpfegger, Portfolio Manager & Sector Analyst Automotive and Industrials at DJE Kapital AG, advises being selective in the industry. The growth prospects of the global automotive sector have come under pressure since 2019 due to various circumstances. Stumpfegger refers to the outbreak of the pandemic and says, “after the sharp slump, the rapid recovery was initially massively underestimated”. The semiconductor industry, for example, had given free capacities to other industries such as the PC and electronics sectors, which were booming due to the home office trend in particular.