Faced with China, Central Europe’s automotive sector is playing catchup
A sense of foreboding grips Central Europe’s car industry, as it comes to terms with the transition toward electric vehicle (EV)-making, while simultaneously coming up against technologically advanced and highly competitive Chinese EVs. The stakes could not be higher. The failure to adapt to emerging trends could threaten not only the region’s prosperity but also its democracies and social cohesion. The former communist bloc’s car-making competency comes from a marriage of convenience between its indigenous engineering know-how, and the region’s gradual integration with Western European market...