Transforming Transport, Ten Years On: Time to Recalculate the Route to the Future? (Episode 3)

In the third episode of our podcast series marking the tenth anniversary of Agora Verkehrswende, the focus was on the future of the automotive industry in Europe.

Our guests were:

• Dr. Thomas Steg, General Representative of Volkswagen Group and Head of External Relations,
• Achim Steiner, Chair of the Council of Agora Verkehrswende, Senior Fellow at Oxford Martin School, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations,
• Kurt Vandenberghe, Director-General for Climate Action at the European Commission.

Moderator: Christian Hochfeld, Director of Agora Verkehrswende

About the podcast series:

Just over ten years ago, in December 2015, the international community ratified the Paris Agreement. Shortly thereafter, Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation founded Agora Verkehrswende, the Berlin-based think tank for climate-neutral mobility. This year thus marks the tenth anniversary of our founding – and the start of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport.

Our first publication, Transforming Transport to Ensure Tomorrow’s Mobility (2017), presented a 12-point strategy for decarbonizing the transport sector. This study has informed our activities over the past decade and will serve as a springboard for the podcast discussion. 

It is a fitting moment to step back and consider the big picture. In this podcast series, we will converse with thought leaders in the world of sustainable transport, reviewing progress achieved to date while also looking to the decade ahead. 

Specifically, we aim to revisit our strategic orientation while considering options for revamping associated policy approaches. Three questions will figure prominently in the podcast discussion: What has been achieved thus far? What challenge did we underestimate the most initially? How can we accelerate progress over the next ten years to achieve a climate-neutral transport sector in Germany by 2045? 

Over six episodes, the podcast series will address a range of topics, including urban development and sustainable mobility; electric mobility and industrial transformation; alternative fuels; rural mobility and autonomous vehicles; and infrastructure and sustainable finance. 

Future podcast dates will be communicated at the German events section of our website and via the German edition of our newsletter. Please note that only the first and the third episode are in English.

Other episodes in English:

• 5 March 2026: Geopolitics and International Cooperation (Episode 1)