German Engineering and Forward Thinking at Its Best.

Two things wrong in the article:
Electricity is the end of the path on renewable energy, because it his the most efficient, practical and theoretical technique to transform into mechanical power (chief not engineer, probably economist);
These German automakers are not less greener manufacturers than others - BMW have introduced start-stop some years ago (Efficient Dynamics), VW cared about (bluemotion), and also Mercedes end up with a few steps ahead.

 

The article is relatively short, it reads:

BERLIN (AP) BMW's chief executive says German automakers need to
look beyond electricity as the only renewable energy source for the
industry and is optimistic they will develop a new technology.

Norbert Reithofer warned Friday at an economic conference organized
by newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung against focusing on a single
technology saying that Germany's leading automakers "have to come
up with something new."

Although Germany boasts three of the world's leading automakers, with
Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen alongside BMW, they have not been
among industry leaders in developing environmentally friendly cars.

Reithofer predicted that future cars will be based on "a new concept,
new construction."

Uhh, and what, Audi has been sitting on its hands?

In ways more or less successfully, more or less algorithm breaking,
more or less real-worldly relevant, haven't car makers been playing
with this idea this since the oil shortage in the '70s?

And lately with with near frantic development efforts.

My reaction is, A "new technology," such as what?

Tinkerbell in a bottle... magic crystals?


Or thinking outside the spherical box, gravitational flux using the
moon as a globally available power source.