German Industrial Slump Deepens on Auto Production Plunge (1)

German industrial production fell the most since early 2022, evidence of the struggle by Europe’s biggest economy to shake off a multi-year slump.

Output decreased 4.3% in August from the previous month, driven by an 18.5% drop in auto manufacturing, Destatis said Wednesday. That’s far worse than any forecast in a Bloomberg survey of 22 economists.

“The marked decrease may be explained, at least in part, by the combination of annual plant closures for holidays and production changeovers” in the car industry, the statistics office said in a statement.

The report, together with data earlier in the week ...