Dear reader,
The software concerns of the German automotive industry are well known. Are the manufacturers still getting the hang of things? At Porsche, one of the most renowned software experts in the scene has been making sure everything works for almost a year: Sajjad Khan (50). The Car IT board wants to make the sports car manufacturer an Apple of the car industry. Khan will explain to our subscribers how this can be achieved on Thursday, September 19th at 6 p.m. in a new edition of our digital event series “manage:mobility live”.
Don’t miss the live talk: You can also direct your questions to Sajjad Khan. Participation is worth it. Click here to register.
Let’s get to current events. These are our topics of the week:
Why the Bahn leadership wants to get rid of Schenker in a hurry.
Why Tesla in Grünheide could become a problem for Prime Minister Woidke.
How a car test ended with diamond fever.
Top topic: The questionable Schenker acting
Change is not the concern of railway boss Richard Lutz (60). For example, he has been fervently opposed to a spin-off of the network division for years. However, at the largest railway subsidiary, the freight forwarding company DB Schenker, he is now suddenly in a hurry to make changes. Lutz, it comes from the Berlin railway tower, wants to quickly complete the sale to the Danish logistics company DSV. The Bahn leadership is no longer negotiating with the second interested party, the private equity fund CVC. This surprises our railway expert Michael Machatschke: On the one hand, the railway is missing the opportunity to spark open competition between the two bidders. On the other hand, DSV’s bid is by no means clearly better than CVC’s. There is now a risk of massive collateral damage
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Heads: Patrik Andreas Mayer ++ Gunnar Kilian ++ Wendelin Wiedeking ++ Christiane Benner ++ Luca de Meo
The SUV wave does not stop at the luxury legend Rolls-Royce. Anyone who drives the Cullinan model, like my colleague Margret Hucko recently, experiences a car that can make all sounds – the quiet ones and the loud ones. When you step on the accelerator vigorously, the occupants can feel the full 571 hp of the 400,000 euro colossus roaring. Otherwise, the angular car glides around so quietly that even the biggest engine specialists probably wouldn’t be able to hear its twelve cylinders. How the Cullinan, named after the largest diamond found in the world, arrived at Margret’s family and surroundings, find out here
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Deep Drive: Brummy problems
Next week the trucker scene will meet in Hanover for the IAA Transportation. A large vehicle trade fair in the middle of VW land – what timing. Hanover will also be about electromobility. This has barely made its way into heavy goods traffic. Less than 2 percent of all new trucks sold in Europe were recently powered by batteries or fuel cells. By 2030 it would have to be a McKinseyanalysis
According to around 40 percent, the manufacturers want to comply with the EU’s CO2 regulations. If you are at the trade fair in Hanover on Monday, please get in touch, we look forward to talking to you!
In Volkswagen’s austerity drama, it’s worth taking a look at one unit that should make a significant contribution to improvement: Group sales are getting down to business. At VW and Audi, board members Imelda Labbé (57) and Hildegard Wortmann (57) have just said goodbye. They had also struggled at the “agency”. The group wants to switch to direct sales. VW rushed forward with the ID.3 more badly than well. Seat followed, and most recently Audi. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is currently coming to terms with its decision after years of hesitation. Because Porsche doesn’t want to, Škoda should be the last brand to make the switch for the time being. Immediately before the start in Germany, the Czechs around CEO Klaus Zellmer (56) withdrew. Škoda now believes it will be ready by 2026 at the earliest. The question remains whether Klaus Zellmer is really the wrong-way driver – or the others who continue to steer on the agency course.
Have a good week.
Yours, Christoph Seyerlein
Do you have any wishes, suggestions or information that we should take care of journalistically? You can reach my colleagues in the Mobility team and me at manage.mobility@manager-magazin.de
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