Text.
It's cold and early and Detlef Fendt repeats a morning ritual, heaving himself onto the side of his 28- year-old BMW motorbike and jumping with all his might on the kick-start. It takes a few goes, but eventually the bike roars into life. After all, this is the sort of solid reliable machine that makes German goods a household name for quality. It's that good name that means Germany is the world's top exporter. China may take the title soon, but for the moment Germany is still a world-beater.
Detlef is part of that success story. For the last years he's made machine tools for Daimler cars at the Berlin plant. He started work when he was 16 and is now the plant's main union representative for IG Metall. But this year, thanks to the world credit crunch, he'll be getting an unwanted seasonal break from his early morning ritual. The plant is closing down for an extra-long Christmas break, from mid-December to mid-January, because of falling orders.
He tells me: "At the moment we are in a distribution crisis — the automobile industry is not selling enough cars and lorries”.
Consumer confidence was dented in Germany long before the credit crunch, and despite his union's recent deal it is not returning.
Germany is now in recession and the figures have been worse than economists were predicting. Equally bad statistics for the whole of the European Union are expected today. While consumers in America feel cowed, while Asia is jittery, the rest of Europe watches fearfully as the biggest economy in Europe continues to shrink.
It's cold and early and Detlef Fendt repeats a morning ritual, heaving himself onto the side of his 28- year-old BMW motorbike and jumping with all his might on the kick-start. It takes a few goes, but eventually the bike roars into life. After all, this is the sort of solid reliable machine that makes German goods a household name for quality. It's that good name that means Germany is the world's top exporter. China may take the title soon, but for the moment Germany is still a world-beater.
Detlef is part of that success story. For the last years he's made machine tools for Daimler cars at the Berlin plant. He started work when he was 16 and is now the plant's main union representative for IG Metall. But this year, thanks to the world credit crunch, he'll be getting an unwanted seasonal break from his early morning ritual. The plant is closing down for an extra-long Christmas break, from mid-December to mid-January, because of falling orders.
He tells me: "At the moment we are in a distribution crisis — the automobile industry is not selling enough cars and lorries”.
Consumer confidence was dented in Germany long before the credit crunch, and despite his union's recent deal it is not returning.
Germany is now in recession and the figures have been worse than economists were predicting. Equally bad statistics for the whole of the European Union are expected today. While consumers in America feel cowed, while Asia is jittery, the rest of Europe watches fearfully as the biggest economy in Europe continues to shrink.
Mark Mardell. Germany loses revs. BBC World News. At: <www.bbc.co.uk> (adapted).
Based on the text, judge — right (C) or wrong (E) — the following item.
Fendt’s motorbike starts up immediately because it is a reliable machine.
Fendt’s motorbike starts up immediately because it is a reliable machine.
