Post by Falk Liebsch

That was the time when automotive manufacturers—especially the premium brands—truly stood for quality. These cars and engines were easily built to last 20 years or more. Back then, engineers were the ones making the key decisions. In the 1990s, however, economists began to take the lead. This shift is one of the underlying problems of the European automotive industry. Innovation was neglected for too long. Today, brands like Audi and Mercedes unfortunately struggle more with software issues and flaws than with engineering excellence. In this area, Asian manufacturers have clearly taken the lead. It’s time to get back to the roots and be innovative like in the 80s!