ROUNDUP 3/Ampel compromise: Rent freeze until 2029 - data to be frozen

BERLIN - The SPD and FDP have agreed to extend the rent freeze beyond 2025. Part of the agreement, which was announced on Wednesday in Berlin by the SPD and FDP parliamentary groups, is also a compromise on the storage of communication data for investigation purposes. "The blockade is over," said the SPD parliamentary group. FDP MP Thorsten Lieb announced: "The coalition has agreed on the 'quick freeze' procedure at cabinet level." This would allow data to be stored in future in a legally secure manner and on an ad hoc basis.

ROUNDUP/Insolvency administrator: Over 70 Galeria stores to be continued

ESSEN - The new owners of the insolvent department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof will probably continue to operate more than 70 of the 92 stores. This was announced by insolvency administrator Stefan Denkhaus in Essen on Wednesday. This figure is therefore part of the investor agreement, which was notarized on Tuesday. The new owners are a consortium consisting of the US investment company NRDC and the German entrepreneur Bernd Beetz. This had already become known on Tuesday.

Volkswagen delivers fewer vehicles in March - decline in e-cars

WOLFSBURG - The Volkswagen Group delivered fewer vehicles in March than in the previous year. Sales fell by 1.4 percent to 800,600 vehicles, as the company announced in Wolfsburg on Wednesday. Deliveries fell in the European regions and in China, among others. In contrast, Volkswagen was able to increase sales in the American region. Sales of high-priced brands such as Audi and Porsche were down, while sales of the core Volkswagen brand and Seat developed positively.

Sports car manufacturer Porsche sells slightly fewer cars

STUTTGART - Porsche AG sold slightly fewer sports and off-road vehicles at the beginning of the year. From January to March, 77,640 vehicles were delivered worldwide. This was four percent less than in the same period last year, as the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer announced on Wednesday. The drop is due to declines in China, the most important car market, and in North America. Almost a quarter fewer vehicles were exported to each of these markets.

Mercedes-Benz sells fewer cars

STUTTGART - Mercedes-Benz sold fewer vehicles in the first quarter of the year than in the same period last year. With 568,400 cars and vans sold, this is a decrease of six percent, the car manufacturer announced in Stuttgart on Wednesday. The passenger car division recorded a drop of eight percent with 463,000 vehicles sold. In contrast, 105,400 vans were sold, an increase of seven percent.

BMW sales grow with e-cars and expensive models

MUNICH - BMW sold around 595,000 cars in the first quarter, 1.1 percent more than a year ago. Growth was driven by all-electric vehicles as well as high-powered and luxury cars, the company announced on Wednesday. The number of battery-powered vehicles (BEV) sold rose by almost 28 percent to 82,700, while sales of cars in the upper price segment increased by almost 22 percent. BMW was able to respond to changing customer wishes with different drive types. Sales Director Jochen Goller said that this strategy is now proving its worth.

US airline Delta expects continued strong demand for tickets - share price rises

ATLANTA - After a profitable start to the year, the US airline Delta continues to expect lucrative business. Delta does not expect a decline in demand, CEO Ed Bastian told the Bloomberg news agency at the presentation of the quarterly figures in Atlanta on Wednesday. The usual decline in bookings in the run-up to the summer season had not materialized this time. Bookings for the US holidays Memorial Day at the end of May and Independence Day on July 4th are looking quite strong.

Swiss Federal Council wants to prevent second Credit Suisse case with new rules

BERN - Clearer allocation of responsibilities, more powers for financial market supervision and more crisis-proof resolution plans: this is how the Swiss Federal Council wants to prevent a second Credit Suisse case. The government is not considering generally higher capital requirements and a ban on bonus payments. Shares in UBS, Switzerland's largest bank, fell after the afternoon's news: the share price was down 1.6 percent at the end of the day, having risen by almost one percent earlier in the day.

Boeing falls far behind Airbus due to 737 Max crisis

ARLINGTON/TOULOUSE - The US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is falling further and further behind the market leader Airbus in the face of its crisis. In March, European manufacturer Airbus delivered 63 commercial aircraft, more than twice as many as its US rival, according to press releases issued by both companies on Tuesday. Airbus boss Guillaume Faury still has a long way to go to reach his target of 800 aircraft deliveries this year - after the first three months of the year, only 142 have been delivered. Boeing, however, is struggling with completely different problems following the near-accident of a 737 Max medium-haul jet.

Boeing rejects whistleblower allegations about 787

SEATTLE - Boeing must defend itself against new allegations about the quality of its airplanes. On Tuesday, the company rejected criticism from an employee that some 787 Dreamliner aircraft could have a shortened service life because the company took technical "shortcuts" to speed up production. The allegations are incorrect and have already been investigated under the supervision of the US aviation authority FAA, a Boeing spokesperson emphasized.

German air traffic lags behind Europe in summer

BERLIN/FRANKFURT - German air traffic will continue to develop more slowly than in the rest of Europe in the coming summer months. From April to September inclusive, around 136.2 million seats will be offered on flights to, from and within Germany, as reported by the German Aviation Association BDL in Berlin on Wednesday. This is 6 percent more than in the same period last year, but also only 87 percent of the number of seats offered in the last pre-corona year 2019, while the rest of Europe is expected to reach 104 percent of the pre-pandemic flight capacity.

Chief supervisor of KWS Saat dies

EINBECK - The Chief Supervisor of seed producer KWS Saat, Philip Freiherr von dem Bussche, has died. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board died on Monday after a serious illness at the age of 74, the SDax-listed company announced on Wednesday in Einbeck, Lower Saxony.

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Further news

-ROUNDUP: Dispute over empty Internet pipes - authorities propose prices

-Wissing warns federal states against blocking rail renovation

-Environmental aid: Methane emissions from opencast lignite mining higher than: assumed

-Ostbeauftragter hopes for falling gas prices with Mukran LNG terminal

-Kiel minister calls for signals from the federal government on the Deutschlandticket

-Court backs buyers of used cars with defects

-ROUNDUP/Retail expert: 20 Galeria stores realistic

-Greenpeace: Ikea involved in the destruction of primeval forests in Romania

-Rise in construction prices continues to weaken

-ROUNDUP: Robot cab company Cruise returns to the road after accident

-Tüv Nord: Energy transition biggest challenge since reunification

-Chip instead of host - Italy outraged by commercial

-German arms exports continue to rise after record year

-ROUNDUP: Airbus and IG Metall reach agreement on temporary work and work contracts

-Demand for consumer credit has fallen

-SPD parliamentary group insists on further changes to protect tenants

-EU competition watchdogs approve billions in German state aid

-Telecom boss urges faster approvals for mobile phone masts

-Intel wants to give Nvidia more competition for AI chips

-Deutsche ReGas: Regular operation for Mukran LNG terminal by May at the latest

-Arbitration in the construction industry could begin next week

-Study: Manufacturers cut discounts for electric cars

-RWE boss: Recovery of German industry to pre-war level unlikely

-Julius Bär must remedy deficiencies in business organization in Germany

-Circles: Around one in seven iPhones to be manufactured in India in the 2023 financial year

-Tenants' association demands further traffic light resolutions on tenant protection

-Novartis adjusts production of ribociclib

-BVB hopes for another coup in the Champions League

-Verdi calls for nationwide warning strikes at Postbank branches

-Wissing: Regulate AI based on values

-Health insurance: Tripling of treatments for cannabis within 10 years

-ROUNDUP/'Real never dies': Spectacle in Madrid leaves starting position open

-ROUNDUP 2: German Armed Forces Association wants Scholz to put his foot down on defense spending

Customer reference:

ROUNDUP: You are reading a summary in the company overview. There are several reports on this topic on the dpa-AFX news service.

/stw