Gears were seizing up and gaskets burning out long before the emergency stop on the autobahn. Now the consensual German model of business has suffered multiple mechanical failures. Wirecard, the payments group that bolstered German tech credentials, has imploded in fraud. Bayer is taking up to $11bn in charges mostly triggered by a disastrous US takeover. Once-proud conglomerates Siemens and Thyssenkrupp are shrinking. Volkswagen’s service life shortens each time Tesla’s outlook improves.
一辆在高速公路上行驶的汽车，早在紧急停车之前，传动装置就已经失灵，密封圈也已烧坏。如今，德国注重保持“一致意见”(consensual)的商业模式出现了多重机械故障。支撑德国科技门面的支付集团Wirecard因欺诈而“内爆”。拜耳(Bayer)正在为一系列和解协议赔付高达110亿美元，而相关指控主要是由一宗对美国公司的灾难性收购引发的。德国人曾经引以为傲的企业集团——西门子(Siemens)、蒂森克虏伯(Thyssenkrupp)正在收缩。特斯拉(Tesla)前景越光明，大众(Volkswagen)的“使用寿命”就越短。