VW CEO Sees Biden Being More in Sync With Electric Car Strategy
Volkswagen AG’s boss waded carefully into the fraught matter of U.S. presidential politics.
(Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG’s boss waded carefully into the fraught matter of U.S. presidential politics, saying the automaker may be more compatible with a Joe Biden administration while talking up the company’s dealings with Donald Trump.
“A Democratic program probably would be more aligned with our worldwide strategy, which is really to fight climate change, to become electric,” Herbert Diess, the chief executive officer of the world’s largest carmaker, said during a Bloomberg News virtual event.
That said, VW established “really a trustful relationship with the Trump administration and government,” Diess said Thursday. “We did a lot also to contribute to build America.”
Diess, 62, weighed in with Biden on the brink of securing enough votes to take over the White House from Trump, who has been highly critical of the car industry’s contribution to America’s trade imbalance with Germany. VW’s plans to build the world’s biggest electric-vehicle lineup include producing batteries and ID.4 crossovers at its expanding production complex in Tennessee.
“At the end, this is a decision America has to take,” Diess said. “We only can watch and we have to adapt.”
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.