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But there was one particular sector where no one could beat Germany - car manufacturing. BMW, Mercedes and especially VW sold all over the world. In 2005, Germany even overtook the United States to become the world's leading exporter. By 2015, VW had increased its value fivefold and seemed truly unstoppable. But let's get back to the present. In 2024, everything looks completely different and it's impossible not to ask yourself: What happened to the German car industry and how could VW in particular fall so far? In reality, we should be talking about VW's decline, because the company is currently experiencing its worst crisis since it was founded. And this is not just a small problem that the company needs to solve. Germany's largest company is probably facing the beginning of the end. But what does that really mean? A simple look at VW's share price shows that the company has been struggling for several years. As we mentioned earlier, VW was in a very successful phase in the 2000s – until 2015, when it was on a rapid growth trajectory. Even after the emissions scandal, VW managed to successfully bounce back. By 2021, the company was once again posting record profits.