Sales and revenue at Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz remained relatively stable in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
However, their operating profit fell sharply by almost 76% to around 1.7 billion euros. This is the lowest figure since the third quarter of 2009, according to an analysis by German audit and consulting firm EY.
According to the analysis, the current pressure on German automakers is comparable to that of the 2008-2009 crisis. No other major auto manufacturing country has shown such a weak result as Germany. Japanese automakers had operating profits of around 29% in the same period, while companies in the US and China had around 14%.
