About this episode
This episode explores the rising tension in Germany regarding petrol cars and the influence of populist parties on automotive culture.
Is defence of the petrol car and liberated motoring becoming the new battleground for Europe’s populist parties? Chris Bowlby visits one of the homes of German car culture and a populist stronghold, Zwickau, to see how motoring is rising up the German agenda. Is Zwickau a foretaste of something affecting all of Germany – a car-loving, car-manufacturing powerhouse in the past, now wondering anxiously what the future holds against the emergence of Chinese electric cars. And less than a hundred miles from Zwickau, just across the border in the Czech Republic, a new coalition government has recently taken power, including ministers from a populist party called Motorists for Themselves – muscular defenders of the old petrol car. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
People in this episode
Host: Chris Bowlby
Topics covered
- populism
- car culture
- electric vehicles
- German automotive industry
- politics
- defense of petrol cars
Keywords
- Zwickau
- electric cars
- petrol car
- populism
- German car culture
- Motorists for Themselves
- Czech Republic
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Motorists for Themselves
Products: electric cars, petrol car
Places: Zwickau, Czech Republic, Germany, Europe
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