Dear reader, dear reader,
Is the electrical flaut over in Germany? In January, 53.5 percent more were approved at 34,498 Stromers than in the same month. The bad news: January 2024 was an electric disaster after the federal government collected state funding in December 2023.
In 2025, the comeback year for electromobility-unless Ursula von der Leyen (66) has other plans. If the EU Commission chief does not feel the CO2 guidelines for automotive manufacturers that have just tightened (and known since 2019), customers can look forward to high e-car discounts. With electricity, car manufacturers can improve their ecological statements and thus at least reduce or even prevent fines. The majority of the auto industry lobby with everything, an open letter chases the next. At least the fines that threaten manufacturers should be suspended. Trend? Probably per industry.
These are our topics of the week:
Why Audi doesn’t get out of the crisis.
Which makes the production of battery cells in Europe so difficult.
Why investors sort out bets on mobility start-ups.
Topic of the week: Why Audi does not come out of the crisis
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Caught in distrust: Audi boss Gernot Döllner is looking for the necessary grip
Photo:
Audi
Johnny Cash fell into a burning ring of fire (“Ring of Fire”) in 1968. Gernot Döllner (56) jumped upside down 55 years later. When trying to extinguish the many fires at Audi, the resolute boss sometimes looks more like an accelerator. Audi’s crash in China? Not stopped. Audi’s jealousy with Porsche? Shore off. Audi’s savings program? Should cost more jobs than expected. Audi’s development in sales? Characterized by ever new failures. “Chaos days since it is here”, a supervisory board with a view to Döllner sums up, “nothing works.” An inside report why Audi does not come out of the crisis
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Heads: Wolfgang Bernhart ++ Donald Trump ++ Elon Musk ++ Linda Jackson ++ Daniela Cavallo
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Batter consultant: Roland-Berger expert Wolfgang Bernhart has been dealing with the battery scene for many years
Photo: Sandra Wolf/ Roland Berger
Wolfgang Bernhart (62) is one of the most knowledgeable experts when it comes to battery cells for electric cars. The juice threatens numerous battery manufacturers, Northvolt slipped into bankruptcy at the end of 2024. With my colleague Michael Freitag, Roland-Berger consultant Bernhart spoke about his youngest “Battery Monitor” and many exciting questions: How difficult is the European Dilemma, how high are the losses- And how could a turn succeed?
Donald Trump (78) Zolljojo plays in the United States. First, the new US President spoke 25 percent on goods from Canada and Mexico, among others, then he postponed the introduction by one month again. The additional tariffs would hit the German car manufacturers Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW. My colleague Michael Herold analyzed What Trump’s protectionism would mean for them
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In the future, Elon Musk (53) may officially work for Trump 130 days a year. That raises the question: there is enough time for Tesla? There would be enough to do with the car manufacturer. In 2024 the paragraph declined for the first time. Tesla weakened in the USA, but above all in Europe: The Model Y fell there from first place in the bestseller ranking 2023 back in fourth place
. And at the start of the year it went for Tesla anything but intoxicating.
After the end of Carlos Tavares (66) at Stellantis, administrative council leader John Elkann (48) does not leave a stone on the other. He was just putting several Tavares confidants in front of the door: Peugeot boss Linda Jackson (66) as well as software boss Yves Bonbont (54).
At Volkswagen it was said at the Wolfsburg main plant on Wednesday: Company meeting. After boos and whistle concert with the last issue, this time was well cited. VW brand boss Thomas Schäfer (54) had a design sketch of the VW ID.1 with them, which is due to start in 2027 at “around 20,000 euros”. He also promised works council chief Daniela Cavallo (49) that an electrical version of the T-Roc should be built in addition to an electric Golf in Wolfsburg at the end of the decade. All follow a “triple A” plan: Catch up, attack, lead. It sounds like: work, work, work.
Company: Porsche ++ Bosch ++ Nissan ++ Toyota
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Before the out: Porsche CFO Lutz Meschke
Photo: Marijan Murat/ Picture Alliance/ dpa
For a long time, Porsche itself becomes more and more a problem. Fate models, bursting electrical rooms, difficulties in China – the Zuffenhausen specification has now been filled. In the country, this is noticeable with a consequence that has not been known for a long time: CFO Lutz Meschke (58) and Sales Head Detlev von Platen (61) should clear their posts.
From Zuffenhausen to the Gerlinger Schillerhöhe it is just a good 20 minutes by car. Another crisis fall on the hill over Stuttgart. The winning of the world’s largest car supplier, Bosch, collapsed by a third to 3.2 billion euros in 2024. CEO Stefan Hartung (59) does not exude confidence: “I expect that 2025 will be a strenuous year.”
In Japan, frustration threatens instead of fusion: Honda and Nissan, number two and three of the Japanese vehicle manufacturers, wanted to support each other in difficult times. Now the megadeal threatens to burst. At Nissan, you cannot make friends with the idea of being stuck to a subsidiary of Honda.
On the other hand, Toyota seems to move not only in the country of the rising sun. Despite a violent drop in profit in the past quarter the manufacturer increased its forecast for the year as a whole.
More mobility: well and woe on two wheels
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Screws on the stock market story: E-scooter rental company VOI for the first time in 2024 a mini gain
Photo: Omer Messinger/Epa-Fe/Rex
E-scooter lenders are not easy. They flew out of some cities, in many others they do not earn any money. With the Swedish provider VOI, in 2024, sales of 132 million euros in sales remained a total of 100,000 euros adjusted profit. In “Two to three years”
CEO Fredrik Hjelm (43) sees his company as a candidate for the stock exchange. Until then, the ruble should better scooters.
Pierer New Mobility Deutschland GmbH presented itself less shipping in Schweinfurt when my colleague Lutz tried to call Reiche. Waiting loop, “you chose” and bye. The parent company Pierer Mobility is fighting for survival because of the bankruptcy of the motorcycle brand KTM. This also pulls down the bicycle division, The locations in South Africa, Great Britain and Germany are closed.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this newsletter, please write to us manage.mobility@manager-magazin.de
. Likewise, of course, if you have information or suggestions for research. We look forward to your message.
Deepdrive: Moneten for mobility
Mobility start-ups always have major problems finding investors. The number of financing rounds was in 2024, according to an analysis of the advice of Oliver Wyman at 696, the lowest level of the past ten years. “Investors have cleaned up their portfolios with sometimes excessively overvalued mobility players,” says Wyman expert Andreas Nienhaus. But there is also good news: If you convince donors with mobility concepts, you can hope for fat financial injections. With $ 78 million, an average financing round last year was greater than ever.
Number of week: 46,500,000
Silber, fast and damn expensive: In Stuttgart, a Mercedes of the W 196 R series has for 46.5 million euros changed the owner. Well-known racing drivers such as Juan Manuel Fangio or Stirling Moss drove the 290-hp. Despite the proud sum, the “silver arrow” is far from the most expensive car in the world. In 2022, Mercedes auctioned a 300-SLR hook coupé for 135 million euros. With models from the past, the luxury strategy of CEO Ola Källenius (55) seems to be much better than with those from the present.
Ghost driver of the week
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Expensive pleasure: For a US couple, a won cruise became a nightmare
Photo: Marco Bello/ Reuters
“A seafaring, which is funny” is a children’s song evergreen. Instead, it was said for a US couple: “A seafaring, which is frustration.” The two had won a cruise through the Caribbean-but it became lucky. The man caught a flu while driving. The Norwegian Cruise Line provided for three days of flu treatment 47,000 dollars into account. This was “fair and appropriate”, the couple said and put the credit cards to the limit. However, the shipping company may still move away from its ailments: the case should be checked again.
Come through the week well.
Your Christoph Seyerlein
Do you have any wishes, suggestions, information that we should take care of journalistically? You can reach my colleagues in the Mobility and me team at manage.mobility@manager-magazin.de
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