The offensive of automotive players for the defense sector cannot be denied. The boss of the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, Ola Källenius, has not ruled out launching into the arms sector, as he told the American newspaper Wall Street Journal, in an article published Friday May 15.
« The world has become more unpredictable, and I think it is abundantly clear that Europe needs to strengthen its defense profileexplained Ola Källenius, the German-Swedish chairman of the board of Mercedes-Benz. If we are able to play a positive role in this area, we would be willing to do so. »
 Volkswagen also on the scene
These comments come in a context of Germany’s rearmament in the face of the growing Russian threat since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The German defense industry is taking full advantage of this trend, as illustrated by the rise in power in recent years of Rheinmetall. On the other hand, German car manufacturers, like Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, are going through a major crisis, stuck between customs duties and tough Chinese competition.
At the end of March, the boss of another German automobile giant, Volkswagen, Oliver Blume, said he was “and contact» with arms companies, active in particular in anti-missile defense, to reconvert one of its German factories into the production of military transport equipment. According to the Financial Times, discussions are taking place with the company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which designed the Israeli Iron Dome.
 Defense would remain “a minor part” of the activity
Questioned by AFP about the interview with Ola Källenius, a Mercedes Benz spokesperson stressed that the group “has been supplying chassis for many years to specialized companies who equip them and market them under their own responsibility and under their own brand for military applications ”. «ÂOur activities in the field of security and defense constitute a strategic development axis that we will continue to actively develop, in collaboration with our partners“, she added.
The Tribune Alert
Real-time alerts on major economic information.
