BMW withdraws the offer

BMW has withdrawn a leasing offer for a company car for Tobias Rausch, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician elected president of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, according to Die Zeit, which cited the parliament's administration. The Munich carmaker had presented the offer to the Landtag on Tuesday, the same day Rausch was elected on the first ballot with the required majority. Nine deputies from outside his own parliamentary group also voted for him. Rausch, 35, is the first president of a German state parliament from the AfD. According to the parliament's administration, the BMW offer was the only one from a well-known German manufacturer, and no offers from Mercedes or Audi have been received.

BMW's response and the party's past

BMW declined to comment on the case, saying the group 'in principle does not comment on customer relations.' Board member Milan Nedeljković had told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung at the end of September that right-wing populism and nationalism are 'poison' for an open economic location that lives from world trade. Other companies have cut ties with the AfD before, including closing the party's donation account, the accounts of its local branches, and withdrawing conference halls and hotel rooms used for party conventions.

The car until November

Until November, Rausch will drive a BMW 7 Series left by his predecessor, Gunnar Schellenberger of the CDU, whose contract runs out that month. The president is entitled to a car with a driver, so the parliament administration must find a replacement, and if it fails, the new president will have no company car. Most cars in the state government and parliament fleet are BMWs. Some are personally assigned, including the president's car, while most are shared by several politicians and officials. AfD parliamentary group leader Ulrich Siegmund responded with this message:

“With the Schwalbe to the state chancellery! Since BMW apparently has little to do with democracy, I will drive in December with the one that faithfully accompanied me through the election campaign. Two-stroke instead of paternalism!”

Siegmund wants to be elected minister-president of the state in December.

Von Storch turns to Musk

On Thursday evening, Beatrix von Storch, deputy chair of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, asked Elon Musk on X, in English, whether Tesla would be willing to provide Rausch with a company car. Her post attached a screenshot of the Zeit report. Musk has backed the AfD repeatedly, joined its 2025 campaign kickoff digitally, and previously campaigned for the party alongside its leader Alice Weidel. Tesla has not responded to the request, and Musk had not replied to the post as of the reporting.

Saxony-Anhalt's election result

The AfD won the September state election in Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8% of the vote and 39 seats, three short of the majority it would need to govern alone. The Landtag in Magdeburg also seats 15 CDU deputies, eight each from the SPD, the Greens and the Left, and five from the BSW.

AfD39

CDU15

SPD8

Greens8

Left8

BSW5

AfD

39 seats

CDU

15 seats

SPD

8 seats

Greens

8 seats

Left

8 seats

BSW

5 seats

Data from the article text

Rausch is the first parliament president from a party whose regional branch has been classified as right-wing extremist by the domestic intelligence agency. The Landtag is probably to elect the state premier in December, and Siegmund is the favourite. Party politicians read Tuesday's vote as a good sign for their chances of forming a government in the state, which would be the first case of its kind in German history.