Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Economics - Industrial Economics, grade: 1,3, University of Queensland, course: CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS IN EUROPE, language: English, abstract: Nowadays, “Germany is the third largest manufacturing country for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, one in ten of all vehicles produced worldwide comes off a production line in Germany” . For several decades the automobile industry has been a key sector in the German economy and the most active and largest Industry in the European Union . Germany is host to major car manufacturers, including prestigious brands such as: Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volkswagen. These brands are world famous for their innovation and quality. They are both accepted and popular all over the world. This essay will describe the automotive industry in Germany and impact of regulations and policies placed on it from both the European Union and the German government. In particular the major markets, growth rates, annual expenditures/profits of this industry will be considered. Moreover, future impacts will be analysed whilst recommendations and justifications how to enter the industry will be given.