Vehicle production is a tough undertaking that requires numerous businesses to work towards a common goal, Car and Driver reported. Ineos recently proved just how tough a task that is by pausing production of the Grenadier SUV and Quartermaster pickup truck. A new report from Automotive News Europe suggests that the production pause may be due to Recaro's recent bankruptcy. The famous German sports seat supplier filed for insolvency in July, four years after being purchased by a U.S.-based private investment company.
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German inflation declined further below the European Central Bank’s 2% target in September, further raising the chance of a consecutive interest-rate cut at the bank’s next meeting in October, the Wall Street Journal reported. Consumer prices were 1.6% higher than in September last year, down from 1.9% in August, German statistics office Destatis said Monday. The German data comes after inflation cooled more rapidly than expected in France and Spain, potentially increasing the pressure on policymakers to vote for an ECB rate cut on Oct.
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Germany's finance minister has conveyed to Italy's Treasury his concerns about any takeover of Commerzbank by Italian lender UniCredit, two people familiar with the matter said, as Berlin looks to halt a hostile deal, Reuters reported. Christian Lindner outlined his position to the Treasury — Italy's economy and finance ministry, led by Giancarlo Giorgetti — in tandem with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's public criticism this week of UniCredit's move to become the biggest investor in its German rival.
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Germany’s government decided to keep its stake in Commerzbank until further notice, after a sale of a portion of its shares to Italy’s UniCredit sparked speculation about a potential takeover, The Wall Street Journal reported. The German government — the biggest shareholder in Commerzbank — said Friday that it won’t offload any additional shares in the bank following the sale to UniCredit for 702 million euros ($783.5 million) completed last week, which reduced its ownership to 12% from 16.49%.

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Germany’s economy is likely to gather pace as several of the causes behind its recent weakness prove short-lived, according to Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel, Bloomberg News reported. Some of the factors holding back growth — which include elevated inflation, reluctant consumers and high interest rates — will probably only be “temporary,” Nagel said Tuesday in a speech, while acknowledging some longer-term structural problems that must be addressed.
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Germany's leading economic institutes have downgraded their forecast for 2024 and now see Europe's largest economy shrinking by 0.1%, people familiar with the figures from the autumn joint economic forecast told Reuters on Tuesday. Germany's economy was the weakest among its large euro zone peers last year with a 0.3% contraction. Inflation was expected to fall to 2.2% this year, from 5.9% last year, the sources said. It would be around the 2% mark targeted by the European Central Bank in the two following years, according to the sources.
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Germany’s government took a first step toward privatizing Uniper SE, the utility it nationalized at the peak of Europe’s energy crisis in 2022 after Russia curbed gas flows to the region, Bloomberg News reported. The nation’s finance ministry said an initial public offering is its preferred option for selling the company, according to a statement. It’s also considering off-market sale alternatives. The announcement marks a momentous step after the bailout just under two years ago, which was one of the largest in German corporate history.
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Embattled German battery-maker Varta AG has adjusted its restructuring plan to help win the support of a key group of lenders, paving the way for its approval, Bloomberg News reported. A “large proportion” of holders of its €250 milllion ($278 million) in promissory notes — also called Schuldschein — have expressed interest in the improved deal, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The Schuldschein lenders had originally resisted the restructuring plan and submitted a rival deal.
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