Warum wird die wirtschaftliche Zukunft Deutschlands eigentlich ständig durch die Windschutzscheibe eines Autos beurteilt?

Kaum schwächeln Volkswagen, BMW oder Mercedes, beginnt das große Gejaule vom wirtschaftlichen Niedergang Deutschlands. Ich kann es langsam nicht mehr hören.

Ja, die Automobilindustrie hat Probleme. Und ja, daran hängen…

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Chinese car market:
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Domestic sales: 1.63 million vehicles.
Decrease: 28.1 per cent compared with September 2025.
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Car exports: 923,000 vehicles.
Increase: 73.2 per cent compared with September 2025.
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Whilst the domestic market is slumping, Chinese manufacturers are selling more and more vehicles abroad.
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And on a scale that would have been almost unimaginable just a few years ago.
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Almost a million vehicles exported in a single month.
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That works out at around 30,800 cars a day.
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Or about 21 vehicles per minute.
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This development is of enormous significance for the European automotive industry.
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After all, China has long since ceased to be merely an important sales market for German premium manufacturers.
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China has itself become one of the most important international competitors.

TO ALL commercial estate agents
I need your help with a specific case...

SOOOOOOO

I’m looking for a new office for my company.
My Immo Scout 24 search criteria were as follows:

Frankfurt am Main – please, not just anywhere in the middle of nowhere
At least 5 pitches – preferably more
180–250 square metres
€3,000–8,000, depending on the location and facilities, of course
kitchen unit
If possible, a brilliant view

So, my dear estate agents, have a look at your office portfolios to see what you currently have available, or rather what will become vacant by Q1 2027, as I’m aiming for March/April for a new tenant to move in.

As far as I’m concerned, electric mobility has long been the future. ⚡️

Given the high fuel prices, I am more convinced than ever that electric cars will play a central role in our future mobility.

I’ve been driving an electric car for more than five years now – and I wouldn’t want to go back to a petrol or diesel car. The high level of driving comfort, the quiet ride and the instant acceleration have won me over. At the same time, the latest electric models are becoming increasingly attractive thanks to longer ranges and significantly shorter charging times.

A glance at new car registrations in September also shows that more and more people are recognising these benefits: in total, just under 30,000 new cars were registered – an increase of 12.5 per cent compared with the same month last year.

Whilst new registrations of conventional combustion-engine vehicles fell, electrified powertrains saw a significant increase:

🔹 around 10,000 fully electric cars: up 80 per cent
🔹 around 10,000 petrol-hybrids: up 11 per cent
🔹 around 7,000 petrol cars: down 12 per cent
🔹 around 2,000 diesel cars: down 28 per cent

This development shows that electric mobility is no longer a distant prospect. It has long since arrived on our roads.

For it to reach its full potential, it requires not only attractive vehicles but also high-capacity electricity grids, sufficient charging infrastructure and energy from renewable sources. After all, the mobility transition and the energy transition must be considered hand in hand.

The retirement savings account is actually intended to become a key component of the state-subsidised savings scheme. However, according to a YouGov survey A third of those surveyed said they had heard nothing or very little about the product. This carries the risk that investors could lose a lot of money.

What do you think: how can we raise awareness of retirement savings accounts and bridge the gaps in financial literacy? Read below to see how financial experts are discussing this topic on LinkedIn, and join in the discussion. 👇🏽

The industry is under pressure. This was also impossible to miss in Munich.
High construction costs, inflation, energy costs, interest rates and red tape. We from Central Hesse accounted for 43 of the 1,777 exhibitors, and over 42,000 visitors attended. There was discussion about why many are adopting a wait-and-see approach, and why government bonds yielding 3.4 per cent are actually draining capital. That is the harsh reality, as some of our exhibitors have also reported to me.

But they also conveyed a sense of drive and courage: “We’re not waiting around. We’re investing and shaping the future.”
Not only in high-demand sectors such as defence, data centres and logistics, but also in high-quality existing sites such as the GAIL site in Gießen.

Central location. Industrial expertise. Available space. Close proximity to decision-makers and a top-class network of innovative projects and solutions. Plenty of reasons to choose our location!
We heard that on our small specialist programme stage as well.

At our joint Central Hesse stand, we were there alongside 25 co-exhibitors and 18 sponsors. Construction, finance, architecture, project development, fit-out, services and our local authority partners – our stand offered a comprehensive range of services 💪

At OTTO, it’s now even easier to find just the right item. The new OTTO AI assistant, developed with Google Gemini, combines expert product advice with intuitive search. Whether using voice or text, customers can describe what they’re looking for just as they would in a real conversation. The assistant responds to individual needs, explains technical details and filters out the perfect item from 19 million products.

Anyone who first scraps the work-from-home policy and then presents four days in the office as a compromise is not negotiating with their staff on an equal footing.

Two months ago, I wrote about Mercedes-Benz here. Now the new rule is on the table.

Managers are to be allowed to set a limit of up to four days of on-site work per week for full-time staff. No justification required. Planned to come into effect from 2027.

What’s the alternative now that the old agreement has been terminated? Five days in the office.

❌ Greater attendance does not lead to greater productivity. Certainly not in knowledge work.

Anyone who no longer has to explain why their team should be in the office is measuring attendance and hoping for results.

And this is happening right in the midst of the automotive industry’s transformation. The very people we urgently need for this right now – those with expertise in software, data and AI – have other options. And they won’t wait for the board to change its mind.

Anyone who tries to force productivity in this way will ultimately lose the talented people who could deliver it.

That’s my view – what do you think?

Contact Us | Markup Designs India , USA & United Kingdom

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Contact Us | Markup Designs India , USA & United Kingdom

Let’s talk about your project. Markup Designs is ready to meet your all requirements with innovative and state-of-the-art services. Contact us today.

Eine starke Teamkultur erkennst du daran, wenn Ex-Mitarbeiter gerne zurückkommen.

Einmal im Monat ist bei uns Crew Night.

Wir kommen abends im Office zusammen, bestellen Essen, zocken unser internes Lieblingsgame und haben einfach eine gute Zeit zusammen.

Und das Ganze ist nicht nur für unser aktuelles Team.

Wir laden auch ehemalige Mitarbeiter dazu…

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Between pressure from AI, declining literacy levels and economic crises: the world of books faces major challenges. At the same time, new opportunities are also opening up for an industry that still has the power to help its consumers slow down and make knowledge accessible.

💡 We have put together a selection of experts who are transforming the world of literature in various ways and who discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the sector.

VfL Oldenburg are continuing their winning streak in the Bundesliga.

The VfL secured a 35:30 (23:19) victory away at HSG Bensheim/Auerbach, thereby celebrating their third consecutive league win.

In THIS country, all of these are currently coming onto the market:

84 companies.
1,242 properties.
8,000 hectares of land.

Uzbekistan is pushing ahead with privatisation on a massive scale.

At the end of August, a new programme was adopted which is intended to further reduce the state’s role in the economy:

→ State shareholdings in 84 companies are being put up for sale
→ 1,242 properties are coming onto the market
→ around 8,000 hectares of land for business and urban development projects
→ A further 85 state-owned enterprises are to be wound up or reorganised
Total value: just under 100 trillion Uzbek sum.
To make it easier to get started, the deposit has been reduced to 15 per cent, and the balance can be paid in instalments, interest-free.

When they hear news like this, many people see it primarily as an opportunity.

First of all, I look at what happens after the purchase:
What is a company actually worth?
How reliable are figures and structures?
What risks does a buyer take on?
And what needs to be changed or integrated following the transaction?

After all, buying things cheaply is one thing.
Preserving that value is where the real work lies.

And this applies not only in Tashkent, but just as much to succession in small and medium-sized businesses right on our doorstep.

A question for everyone:
Is a market such as Uzbekistan more of an opportunity or a risk for German companies?

15 years without Steve Jobs. And the sales team still hasn’t taken the hint.

Steve Jobs died 15 years ago today, on 5 October 2011.

Since then, almost everything has changed.

The iPhone has gone from being a status symbol to something we take for granted.
The MacBook I’m currently typing this post on has more processing power than all the technology Apple was valued at in 2011.
These days, AI fits in everyone’s pocket.

And yet most people are still selling in the same way as they did in 2010:

Feature lists. Price wars. “Do you have 15 minutes to spare?”

Yet Jobs taught us everything that really matters in sales. We just need to finally put it into practice.

𝗗𝗶𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀ö𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵ä𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗱:

1️⃣ Sell the ‘why’, not the specs.
Nobody wanted ‘5 GB of storage’. Everyone wanted ‘1,000 songs in your pocket’. People don’t buy features. They buy a better version of themselves.

2️⃣ Omitting things is the hardest discipline.
Jobs was famous for what he DIDN’T build. Focus means saying ‘no’ to 1,000 good ideas. Even when it comes to the product range. Even when it comes to customers.

3️⃣ Never sell based on price alone.
Apple products have never been the cheapest. Never. Anyone who sells on the basis of discounts is making themselves interchangeable.

4️⃣ You create demand; you don’t beg for it.
No cold, mass emails. No ‘please book’. Desire is created through attitude, scarcity and a product that speaks for itself.

5️⃣ The customer is the hero, not you.
Jobs wasn’t on stage to celebrate himself. He showed people who they could be with his product.

6️⃣ The best sales tool is a demo.
Don’t talk about the result. Show the result. Experience beats explanation. Always.

What has changed over the past 15 years are the tools.
What has remained the same is the person doing the shopping.

The tools are getting better every year.
But no AI tool can generate vision, focus and attitude for you.

Steve Jobs wouldn’t have needed a ‘lead automation funnel’ today.

He would simply have built something that people WANT.

And that’s exactly where real sales begin.

Which of these lessons are you already putting into practice, and which ones do you find yourself still ignoring?

A new partnership from the Wetterau region: EC Bad Nauheim welcomes Pakel Gütertransporte GmbH from Rosbach vor der Höhe as a new member of its family of partners.

As a family-run business with strong regional roots, Pakel is synonymous with reliable transport and logistics solutions and has been based in the region for many years. This partnership combines the company’s connection to the Wetterau region with its passion for the Red Devils.

“We are delighted to have Pakel, another strong partner from our immediate region, on board. It is precisely this regional connection and our shared commitment that make this partnership particularly valuable,” says Managing Director Christopher Fiori.

Hakan Pakel also sees the partnership as a clear commitment to the region: “EC Bad Nauheim is a well-established fixture far beyond the town’s boundaries and brings people together. We are delighted to be part of this community as a new sponsor and to support the Red Devils on their journey.”

A warm welcome to EC Bad Nauheim, Pakel! We’re looking forward to spending time together.

📸 Our photo shows Hakan Pakel (second from the right) and his family together with EC Partner Manager Sven Langsdorf.

In my view, three things are particularly important if this is to work in practice:

💪 Firstly, the courage to take action: By 2028, Deutsche Bank aims to conduct more than 70 per cent of its new customer business in the retail banking sector digitally and remotely. To this end, it is relying on Google AI and Google Ads as key drivers.

🔐 Secondly, uncompromising security: particularly in the highly regulated financial sector, innovation and digital sovereignty must go hand in hand. Our collaboration demonstrates that state-of-the-art AI applications and the highest security standards complement each other perfectly.

📈 Thirdly, growing together: No company can manage this complex transformation on its own. Innovative strength arises precisely where cutting-edge technology and in-depth industry expertise come together.

A big thank you to the teams at Deutsche Bank and Google DACH for the fruitful exchange and mutual trust. Partnerships such as these form the foundation for a digital and competitive Europe.

𝐃𝐚𝐬 𝐄-𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫 – 𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫?

A recent article refers to Chinese electric cars as potential “𝐖𝐞𝐠𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐬”.

The term is provocative. But there is an interesting mechanism behind it.

Not because an electric car wears out particularly quickly from a technical point of view.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

The electric drive system has significantly fewer components subject to mechanical wear than an internal combustion engine.

The real risk lies elsewhere:

𝐄𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐳𝐞𝐮𝐠 𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧.

China shows what that might look like.

New brands are emerging at a rapid pace.

New models are being released at ever shorter intervals.

Battery technology continues to evolve.

Prices are falling.

Manufacturers are disappearing from the market once again.

This can have significant consequences for the customer:

– falling residual values
– an unreliable supply of spare parts
– lack of a service organisation
– software support coming to an end
– difficulty in repairing individual modules

GWM Ora’s withdrawal from the UK, for example, illustrates just how quickly an affordable new car can become a residual value risk.

This means we have to consider two completely different lifespans:

𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐞𝐫:

How long can the vehicle remain in working order?

𝐖𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐞𝐫:

For how long is it worth running, repairing and reselling the vehicle?

And this is precisely where a paradox could arise:

𝐃𝐚𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫 – 𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐧.

That wouldn’t, however, be a classic ‘disposable car’ due to its poor durability.

It would be the result of a product architecture in which 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞, 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫, 𝐄𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐳𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭ä𝐭 are increasingly determining a vehicle’s value.

In my view, this means the following for manufacturers:

A good vehicle of the future must do more than just be produced efficiently.

It must also be 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐫 over its entire life cycle, 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐡𝐢𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐳𝐛𝐚𝐫 bleremain.

Perhaps that is why one metric will become more important than mere technical durability in future:

𝐖𝐢𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐛𝐭 𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭?

And, by the way, this doesn’t just apply to cars.

Bayer, a DAX-listed company, is investing billions of euros in a new, state-of-the-art site. However, this is not to be built in its home market of Germany, but in the US.

https://www.centerparcs.de

Fully electric into the future!
The 100,000 have been reached: This is how many applications for the promotion of an already purchased electric car have been approved (as of: 02. October).
And the e-car promotion continues.

85.4 per cent of our annual consumption – that is how much gas we currently have in storage in Austria, which is enough for the coming winter 🇦🇹

This means that Austria is well above the EU average of 22.9 per cent of annual consumption.

Well-stocked storage facilities mean greater security of supply, greater independence and greater stability for households and businesses.

When it comes to energy in particular, the principle is: prevention rather than dependence.
Secure, affordable and clean energy is a key factor in regional development policy.

Let’s see where this takes us… what do you think?

We’d like to hear your views on this too...

A fault with a steering component has forced Volkswagen to launch one of the largest recalls in recent years: around 2.16 million vehicles worldwide are potentially affected, with just under 900,000 in Germany alone. These include the high-volume models Golf, Tiguan, Touran and Caddy. We asked GNS24 members: What economic consequences do you expect, and what can the automotive industry learn from this in terms of quality management and brand management? You can read a selection of the responses here.

Beim diesjährigen ÖBB Immobilien Cocktail in den Wiener Börsesälen war OTTO Immobilien mit einem starken Team vertreten.

Ich habe nichts gegen Homeoffice.
✔️ Wir machen es selbst.

✔️ Auch digitale Zusammenarbeit gehört heute selbstverständlich dazu.

Aber gerade in unserer Branche bin ich überzeugt:

Persönliche Treffen sind durch nichts zu ersetzen.🚀

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Viele GmbH – Geschäftsführer verschenken Jahr für Jahr Geld – durch unnötige Steuern und Sozialabgaben bei Gehalt oder klassischer Holding-Struktur.

👉 Mit dem Wert(e)+ Konzept sichern Sie als GmbH-Geschäftsführer Ihre Entnahmen:
✅…

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Besonders für Pendler und Menschen in ländlichen Regionen, die täglich auf das Auto angewiesen sind, könnten sich die monatlichen Fahrtkosten spürbar erhöhen und kaum noch…

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Ich habe die Liste der Länder aktualisiert, in denen ich seit Dezember 2025 Klienten hatte.

Und mir wurde etwas klar, das mich innehalten ließ.

In den letzten 10 Monaten hatte ich Kunden aus 53 Ländern.

Durch Einzelgespräche, Meisterklassen, Gemeinschaften, Unternehmensschulungen und andere…

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cellactiva ist vorne dabei.

In dieser Ausgabe schreibe ich über den bevorstehenden Work Optionality Summit, die globale Gemeinschaft, die wir aufbauen, und darüber, warum erfahrene Fachkräfte beginnen müssen, Wohlstand und Einkommen über ein Gehalt oder eine Jobbezeichnung hinaus zu schaffen.
22.–24.…

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Als ich mein Geschäft schloss, hatte ich zwei Möglichkeiten.

Ich hole meine Papiere ab, gehe zurück in den Job und verbringe wahrscheinlich weitere fünf Jahre in einem 9–5-Job.

ODER

Ein Unternehmen mit meiner Expertise und jahrelanger Erfahrung aufbauen.

Ich habe mich für B entschieden.

Ich wusste, dass meine…

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