BMW’s new Chairman, Milan Nedeljkovic, is demanding that Chinese automotive manufacturers sell their vehicles in Europe at significantly higher prices than they currently do. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, Nedeljkovic stated, “We are seeing enormous price pressure in Europe because the prices of many Chinese cars were not established by market-economic mechanisms.”
The automaker leader urged European policymakers to insist on “market-adequate prices” from Chinese manufacturers within the European market. He advocated for “voluntary agreements based on fair conditions,” suggesting these negotiations must now take place at the political level. Nedeljkovic warned that if these efforts failed, the EU might resort to imposing further tariffs on Chinese auto imports, which would constitute an even stronger interference in the market. He concluded, “We welcome competition. But competition distorted by unintelligible pricing is dangerous.”
Shifting topics ahead of metallurgy industry wage negotiations, Nedeljkovic strongly criticized the 35-hour work week, a practice that has been in place in the industry for decades. The BMW chief remarked that, “Of course, the 35-hour week is an obstacle for innovative new industries that operate in global competition based on speed.” He also pointed out that labor costs in Germany are currently too high.
Nedeljkovic also addressed the AfD’s election success, cautioning about its detrimental effects on the economy. He declared that “right-populism and nationalism are poison for an open-world economy that relies on global trade. Anyone who demands seclusion and isolationism cannot act in the interest of Germany’s economy and our prosperity.”
