"In Germany, cars are a feature of national identity and symbol of affluence."
I didn't get the impression that cars were more a symbol of affluence in Germany than in other countries. I would have said they are less a symbol of affluence than in the average country.
In France for instance a car is a mean of transport and people in average do not care about cars at all. This is why we have a lot of generic small sized cars, with bumps or scratches.
A company car is not a typical perk, as opposed to, say, Poland where it is an important element.