Why Is Germany Successful in Automotive Industry? Explain It Using the Concept of Economies of Scale.
Germany’s economic strength has been based on car production to a great extent. The automobile industry is one of the dominating sectors because many economic activities rely on and are linked to automobile production (i.e. tire industry, plastics industry, metal processing). If you include suppliers, car services, garages or retailers, a total of about 5 million employees (1 out of every 7 jobs in Germany) depend on the success of the automobile industry. The automobile industry also involves a large number of product groups, such as the production of trucks, buses, trailers, containers, parts and spare parts.
Cars are among the most well-known German products on the world market. Germany began to intensively export cars in the 1950s. The slogan ‘Made in Germany’, initially used by the U.S. occupying forces as a sign to warn customers not to buy German products, became an international symbol for high quality, speed and technology. The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the first successful cars on the world market. Robust, compact and cheap, several million were produced. Aside from cars, such as the Volkswagen Beetle, which are produced in great numbers to meet mass demand, luxury limousines and sports cars also dominate the image of the German car industry.
The German mass production of cars started in the 1920s. Most factories produced a limited number of models. The Volkswagen plant was established in 1938 in a rural community in Lower Saxony, together with the construction of a whole town (Wolfsburg). Among the first major producers (the number of small-scale car builders reached 150 in the 1920s) were Mercedes-Benz, Opel (since 1927 part of General Motors) and BMW. At the end of World War II, the car industry was virtually destroyed. Rebuilding began in the West, with concentration processes which squeezed-out many small firms. New assembly and components plants (for example, Opel in Bochum) were erected by surviving companies and new firms like Audi, which was
Cars are among the most well-known German products on the world market. Germany began to intensively export cars in the 1950s. The slogan ‘Made in Germany’, initially used by the U.S. occupying forces as a sign to warn customers not to buy German products, became an international symbol for high quality, speed and technology. The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the first successful cars on the world market. Robust, compact and cheap, several million were produced. Aside from cars, such as the Volkswagen Beetle, which are produced in great numbers to meet mass demand, luxury limousines and sports cars also dominate the image of the German car industry.
The German mass production of cars started in the 1920s. Most factories produced a limited number of models. The Volkswagen plant was established in 1938 in a rural community in Lower Saxony, together with the construction of a whole town (Wolfsburg). Among the first major producers (the number of small-scale car builders reached 150 in the 1920s) were Mercedes-Benz, Opel (since 1927 part of General Motors) and BMW. At the end of World War II, the car industry was virtually destroyed. Rebuilding began in the West, with concentration processes which squeezed-out many small firms. New assembly and components plants (for example, Opel in Bochum) were erected by surviving companies and new firms like Audi, which was