Did you know that Germany is the third largest producer of automobiles in the world (after Japan and the United States)? Two of Germany's largest employers are the auto manufacturers Daimler-Chrysler (producer of the Mercedes-Benz) and Volkswagen, whose "beetle" back in the 70s became the most popular car ever built. BMW (Bavarian Motor Works), headquartered in Munich, is also known the world over for making high-end, luxury cars. They have even built a BMW Museum in Munich, and in the year 2000, Audi also opened their own automobile museum in Ingolstadt, called Museum Mobile. This might give you an idea about how much the German people love their cars.

Many people have the impression that there are no speed limits on the German Autobahn (expressway). In fact, even though you will certainly see people driving remarkably fast on these limited-access freeways, there actually are speed limits on most German highways and certainly there are always recommended speeds. But they are not always so fast moving. Particularly around vacation times, the roads become very blocked and there is no question of being able to travel at any kind of real speed. Still, the Autobahn is usually a fast way to get from city to city and no one can argue the merits of that. Today the Autobahn routes stretch 6,800 miles all over most of Germany.

While the German people do take great pride in their cars, and do love to drive them, often quite fast, fortunately, every German driver has had to take a rigorous test to get a license. Everyone has to have a minimum of twenty-five to forty-five hours of professional instruction plus twelve hours of theory. Also, German-speaking people everywhere have become some of the most environmentally conscious people in the world. Practically every German city of note now has a downtown pedestrian zone where cars are not permitted to travel. The city of Münster has built a bicycles-only boulevard, some 275 kilometers or about 172 miles, that goes around the city center and is used by some 1400 cyclists every hour! Many people prefer to either walk or ride their bicycles to work or school, both to cut down on emissions and also because it is a healthy lifestyle.