MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) plans to officially open the IAA Mobility car and transport show in Munich on Tuesday (2 p.m.). The automotive industry hopes that he will take a clear position on the much-discussed industrial electricity price, which would ease the burden on them in global competition. This involves possible subsidies for particularly energy-intensive industries. The industry also believes that extending the purchase premiums for e-cars in Germany would help it achieve the targets set by the government.

Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) sees the manufacturers themselves as having a responsibility: for Germany to play a leading role in global competition, it is a matter of "ensuring that the most innovative, best-quality and most climate-friendly vehicles are built here," Habeck told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Tuesday). "This requires important strategic decisions and high investments in future technologies from battery cell production to software development. This is where the companies are needed." He said the German government is supporting the automotive industry in this with more than six billion euros from 2023 to 2026.

In Munich, Chancellor Scholz was also able to comment on job security in view of growing concerns about deindustrialization. Given the importance of the Chinese car market for VW, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, his statements on China are also eagerly awaited.

During a tour of the exhibition grounds, photographers hope to get fresh shots of the chancellor, who has been wearing a black eye patch since a fall over the weekend. Despite the mishap, he has not canceled the appointment. Because of possible protests by climate activists during the chancellor's visit, police are especially on guard.

Even before that, the networking of the various modes of transport is the subject of a forum at which Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr and Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz talk with Hildegard Müller, president of the Association of the German Automotive Industry. VW Group CEO Oliver Blume and Hollywood actress Natalie Portman then get the stage. Portman has been campaigning for more climate protection in the USA and also wants to talk about this at the trade show.

After the automakers and suppliers presented their innovations to the trade public on the exhibition grounds on Monday, the IAA will open its doors to the general public on Tuesday. Above all, the exhibition areas in downtown Munich, which are open to the public free of charge and where automakers will be showing their vehicles and also offering test drives, are likely to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors again in the coming days. Autonomous minibuses in the English Garden and new bicycles, e-bikes and cargo bikes will also be available for testing at IAA Mobility.

In addition, many protest actions by climate activists can be expected again. Already on Monday, there were street blockades in Munich./rol/DP/zb