As the Franco-German divide grows wider (as we have noted here [3]and here [4]), it would appear the glaring differences being played out in public over monetary, fiscal, and sovereignty policies are spilling over into daily life in Germany. For the 11th month in a row German new car registrations of Peugeot (the large French car manufacturer) have plunged year-over-year. Now down over 40% in the last 12 months, registrations of the French car by German citizens is at its lowest since August 2009. Furthermore, since total new registrations of the otherwise stable German car market also posted a 10% drop, it is unlikely that any patriotic Germans will "pick French" any time soon. Perhaps this is why the effervescent French Industry minister Montebourg is so anxious to get Draghi to talk the EUR down to 1.10 to 'give oxygen to European economy' in order to juice his nation's non-European exports (though maybe not to the Japanese)...
[5]