Dear reader,
the ICE is a showcase product made in Germany. If only he came on time more often. What does the man whose company delivers new ICE trains to Deutsche Bahn month after month actually think about the increasing frustration of passengers? And what will happen to the already sluggish traffic turnaround after the federal election?
On Tuesday, January 21st, at 6 p.m., Siemens Mobility boss Michael Peter (58) will join the discussion with my colleague Claas Tatje. Manager magazin subscribers can be there and ask their questions before and during the digital live talk. An opportunity you shouldn’t miss! Click here to register.
There are construction sites not only on the railways, the car and bicycle industries are also struggling. These are our topics of the week:
While BMW in sales 2024 came away with scratches, the daughter Mini got deep scratches in the paint. The brand lost more than 17 percent and sold a good 50,000 fewer cars than in 2023. Model changes had an impact, and the disaster surrounding faulty Conti brakes was also disruptive. But there was also a home-grown problem: Mini introduced agency sales in some markets. And there, for example in Germany, France and Italy, the numbers are particularly bad. “It’s rumbling a lot,” says one of Germany’s largest mini retailers. That doesn’t bode well for 2025 either – and is fueling speculation about the agency at BMW
.
Heads: Hasmeet Kaur ++ Johann Stohner ++ Arnd Franz ++ Joe Biden ++ Dirk Weddigen von Knapp
Back to the troubled auto suppliers. The big players in the guild are trying to master their crises with rigid austerity programs. Numerous small and medium-sized suppliers have already run out of steam. According to one Falkensteg
analysis, there were 56 insolvencies in the industry in 2024, two thirds more than in 2023. The supplier industry is therefore at the top of the insolvency statistics. If you can’t stand any more bad news, you should keep scrolling here: Experts expect another 40 to 50 percent more car bankruptcies in 2025.
Deep Drive: German-Chinese crash clash
Before the mood becomes really unbearable: German car manufacturers can still win. The best performance of all 44 cars examined Euro NCAP crash test
showed the Mercedes E-Class last year. But others can also crash well: the best electric car was a Chinese model, the Zeekr X.
What does electric car posing actually look like? While in classic jargon the sound of at least eight cylinders is part of the core competency, extroverted drivers of battery-powered sports cars need other stylistic devices. How about, for example, a suspension that makes a car “dance”? In China a driver staged his vehicle like this
, a Yangwang U9. But one thing remains the same, regardless of whether it’s “Brummbrumm” or “Hummbumm”: the police are not the posers’ friends and helpers – the Yangwang driver got a ticket for his show.
Have a good week.
Yours, Christoph Seyerlein