german industrial manufacturing is basically being written off, with volkswagen closing four factories and the cfo saying follow-up production for those sites isn't economically viable once current models end in the early 2030s, citing cost gaps with other european plants. traditional companies are echoing that it's not feasible to build in germany anymore, and the combination of expensive energy, weak ev lineups, and chinese rivals who've grabbed the cheap power germany once relied on is hammering the sector. yet berlin keeps pushing the same policies without changing course.