Christian Lindner: „Zu meiner Freiheit gehört eben, dass ich ins Machen verliebt bin“

Christian Lindner, a 47-year-old man, stepped onto the stage in Rottach-Egern to discuss his new job as the vice president of Autoland, one of the largest independent car dealerships in Germany. On this occasion, he was asked about his past, particularly his role as the finance minister in the now-defunct "Ampelkoalition" (Traffic light coalition) and his time as the FDP's chief.

Lindner tried to distance himself from his past, focusing on the future of his company, which employs 1,500 people, generates more than €1 billion in revenue, and operates from 38 locations primarily in Saxony-Anhalt.

The biggest surprise is Autoland, where Lindner began as a deputy chief executive in early 2026. Wilfried Wilhelm Anclam, the founder of Autoland, sees this as a coup, as the company was previously unknown outside of the western part of Germany. Lindner's plans for Autoland impressed him, and he is now taking direct responsibility for sales, personnel, and results.

Lindner's new role involves hands-on work, such as developing customer campaigns, building call centers, implementing new sales systems, and negotiating major platform contracts. He is deeply involved in the company's operations, often checking sales data, work hours, and revenue on his laptop. For 2026, Lindner aims for Autoland to reach 66,000 vehicles sold, nearly half of which will be new cars.

He also envisions doubling the company's revenue to two billion euros by 2030, maintaining a profit margin of over ten percent. Additionally, Lindner plans to expand Autoland's presence to 120 locations by 2035.