Bosch CEO Against Phasing Out Combustion Engines in the EU

Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung expects further cost-cutting programs at the supplier by 2030. He also opposes the EU's 2035 combustion engine ban.

Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung is preparing the workforce for further cost-cutting rounds. In an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" he said: "There will be further cost-cutting programs – simply because we are facing another major shift in the powertrain mix in automotive engineering between now and 2030." This change in the next five, six, seven years is unavoidable because it is structural. However, he is not yet able to quantify the job losses.

Hartung is sympathetic to the employee representatives' protests against the downsizing plans, which have been unusually fierce for Bosch. "It's true that we have never had to burden the social partnership at Bosch with such job cuts before", said Hartung. It's clear that you can't expect the employees to cheer when you're planning a job cut. But that's just how it is, and the important thing is to sit down together and find a way forward.

For more than a year, the technology company has repeatedly announced job cuts. By the end of 2032, more than 12,000 jobs could be lost at Bosch worldwide. In Germany, a good 7,000 jobs are affected. The majority of these are in the supplier division. But jobs are also to be cut in other areas, such as the tools division. There have recently been protests against the downsizing plans at several German Bosch locations. The automotive industry is in crisis due to the weak economy and is suffering from low demand, especially for electric cars.

Against the EU's ban on Combustion Engines in 2035

Hartung is opposed to a ban on conventional combustion engines in 2035 and calls for a fundamental realignment of European exhaust emission regulations for cars. "I am in favor of a revision of the entire regulation. A hard ban on combustion engines in 2035 will cause major upheaval on the consumer side."

The Bosch CEO also calls for changes. He points to the looming fines for carmakers in 2025 if the total emissions of the vehicles sold do not meet the fleet limits prescribed by the European Union. "It is dangerous if carmakers in Europe have to pay fines because of the fleet limits, while elsewhere in the world, manufacturers receive subsidies. This is a threat to the European automotive industry."

This is a partly automated translation of this German article by dpa.