Despite economic challenges, BMW is sticking with Germany and is building a new battery factory in Straßkirchen
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BMW is building a new factory for battery modules for electric cars in Straßkirchen on an area that was still farmland two and a half years ago.
These are sentences that sound surprising coming from a German car manager in these months. “We continue to stand by the location,” says BMW boss Milan Nedeljković. Of course, Germany and Europe have many issues to address. But that doesn't mean that this country can't have a good future. “We shouldn’t downplay ourselves either.”
The manager is almost in a good mood. And that's a bit understandable: the place he loaded in the middle of this week is a new, huge factory in Straßkirchen, in the east of Bavaria. Where there was farmland two and a half years ago, BMW will in future build battery modules for its electric cars.

VW boss Oliver Blume is aiming for longer working hours for 130,000 employees in Germany to reduce high labor costs. After the group terminated important collective agreements, IG Metall is threatening significant resistance to a possible relaxation of the 35-hour week.
The insolvency proceedings for Leuna Polyamid GmbH have been opened. After a failed search for investors, production at the Leuna Chemical Park is gradually stopped. Over 400 employees are affected by the shutdown.
The Cologne Administrative Court has allowed Deutsche Bahn to increase route prices for 2027 more than approved by the Federal Network Agency. The railway is now allowed to transfer up to 8.2 billion euros to transport companies, which has an impact on freight and regional transport.
After Volkswagen terminated collective agreements, around 3,000 employees at the Zwickau plant boycotted a works meeting in protest. The VW board is planning massive job cuts in view of overcapacity and competitive pressure.
Thuringian Economics Minister Colette Boos-John sees opportunities for local companies as suppliers to the aerospace industry. Companies should compensate for structural change, for example in the automotive industry, through cooperation and expertise in areas such as optics and electronics.

The Dax fell by 0.8 percent to 25,006 points, weighed down by an unexpected increase in German inflation to 3.3 percent. While European markets are under pressure, a rally in chip stocks in Japan is providing optimism.