Germany has long been a leading player in the old economy. Were this 1980, we would call it a “titan of industry.” And its biggest industry, by far, is cars. Germany makes some of the world’s most popular vehicles, not to mention some of the finest. (Let’s forget Dieselgate).

But this is no longer 1980, and the car industry isn’t what it used to be. Across the globe, automakers are preparing for rapid change. There will be new sources of fuel — electric cars are becoming more and more popular — as well as new ways to drive, including, of course, cars that drive themselves.

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Then there’s the question of ownership. Today, most cars spend most of their day parked. Car-sharing services like Uber argue that thanks to technology, each car can become more productive — and if that happens, we’d probably need far fewer cars.