The core of the German economy are the SMEs (small&medium enterprises) - many of them date back to the 1950's reconstruction era while many large companies have their roots in the Bismarck era. The larger ones need the SMEs as innovative suppliers because most large companies lack innovative power or have only innovative power in areas that require huge investments for progress (like pharmaceuticals).
The quantitative economic comparisons among countries become even more interesting if you look at the goods production only (ignoring the services).
Or - really hardcore - look at the production sector in terms of purchasing power parities.
A comparison of economies in PP in general is also interesting.
I did a quick table.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/a0ahg2c/n/G9_pdf
About Germany and great power; it's true in a European context (Germany can essentially move the EU if it teams up with France - and did so many times already), but global ambitions are limited to conference halls.
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