Why have you done your own software development in house, starting with the DB12?
“We’re forced to do that: if you don’t, there could be a lot of the market you can’t manage. You’re then led by someone else, managed by someone else. All manufacturers are doing this. We’re one of the last. But we have to do it.
“This could be considered one of the biggest challenges we have. The number of people working on software in the UK isn’t huge, and we’re struggling to find people. We’re working with universities and start-ups, and we have an agreement with them to get the best talent we can find.
“It’s a long journey. We’ve hired 50% of the people we hoped to have hired by now. We need at least 100-150 people and are struggling to find good, young people in the UK. Everybody is looking for them [software engineers], as software is important for all businesses.”
How will your relationship with Mercedes-Benz evolve?
“Mercedes is still a [substantial] shareholder and an important technical partner for us. This kind of partnership isn’t going to be less than in the past. We’re developing personalisation of the engine, with the base engine and technology coming from Mercedes.
“Looking for the next challenge with ICE, Euro 7 [emissions regulations], without Mercedes we could be in trouble.
“At the same time, Mercedes isn’t just an engine for us, it’s [also] the base electrical architecture. We did integration of new components into the base Mercedes architecture [for the DB12]. This collaboration will remain in the future.”