Are there obstacles to German car imports to the United States?
The biggest obstacle is the euro-dollar exchange rate. At the current rate we have no support from monetary policy on the American market. The Japanese, meanwhile, make billions in windfall profits from their exports to Europe as well as the United States because of the yen’s exchange rate. VW is considering producing in the United States itself, apart from its Puebla, Mexico site. Are other manufacturers thinking the same? I hear about such considerations at Audi but no decision has been made there yet. A market where the German manufacturers sell almost a million vehicles is naturally one where one always considers increasing the production as well – also in order to be perceived more as an American company. During your time as transportation minister, you dealt with transatlantic relations a lot. I’m thinking of the opening of the aviation market for German airlines through the Open Skies agreement, for example. What is the state of that transatlantic relationship today? I was very
