The CEOs of Volkswagen, BMW
and Mercedes welcomed the finalization of a long-pending
landmark trade deal between India and the European Union on
Tuesday, saying that it represented an opportunity for Germany.
The deal “is extremely important for Germany as an export
nation, which we want to remain – we are very pleased that
things are now moving quickly, that we are expanding
multilateral relations rather than cutting them off,” BMW Chief
Executive Oliver Zipse told Reuters on the sidelines of a
business conference organised by the Welt newspaper in Berlin.
“Any move towards opening up markets and strengthening
trade, as well as our opportunities to expand our strong export
economy, is positive for Germany and positive for Europe,”
Mercedes CEO Ola Kaellenius told Reuters.
Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume also welcomed the deal,
saying that he supported “every initiative for trade agreements
with regions of the world.”
He said Volkswagen saw opportunity in India’s car
industry – the third largest in the world – adding that the
company would now “carefully examine the details of the trade
agreement and then evaluate how we will proceed in India.”
In 2024, the German automotive industry exported goods
worth 1.115 billion euros ($1.32 billion)to India, of which 868
million euros were parts, according to Germany’s VDA automotive
association.
Published on January 27, 2026
