Dear reader, dear reader,
In the middle of Trump’s customs fight, which particularly targets China, the car world meets in Shanghai. At the largest car show in the world, the local manufacturers once again want to demonstrate their rapidly won power.
Not too long ago, the stars were called Volkswagen, Mercedes or BMW. In the meantime, they are fighting their crash in the largest car market in the world. The former top dogs don’t want to give up yet. Mercedes tries to keep against it with rolling “supercomputers” in the realm of the middle, Volkswagen promises From 2027 again rising profits in China. The “play-offs” are now coming up, i.e. the decision-making games, says VWS Chinachef Ralf Brandstätter (56).
My colleague Michael Freitag sees on site how expedient the new chinese paths of the car manufacturers are. Have fun and best regards!
Our topics of the week:
Why Rivian founder RJ Scaringe loses influence.
As Porsche boss Oliver Blume sees the future of his electric cars in China.
Why Contis ex-boss Elmar Degenhart doesn’t get rid of the smell of diesel.
Topic of the week: Why Rivian founder RJ Scaringe loses influence
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Bossy matter: RJ Scaringe unveiled a prototype of the R3X in the spring of 2024 at an event in Laguna Beach, California
Photo: Kyle Grillot/ Bloomberg/ Getty Images
Robert “RJ” Scaringe (42) precedes the call of the “anti-elon”. The Rivian founder therefore comes friend as a Tesla tramp Musk. However, Scaringe’s performance apparently finds Scary increasingly. As the greatest investor, Amazon probably no longer wants to participate in further financing rounds. At Volkswagen, in Rivian with up to $ 5.8 billion last year, the doubts about Scaringe’s leadership qualities grow, whether falling sales figures and increasing losses. It just doesn’t go on how my colleague Margret Hucko researched: Scaringe releases at Rivian
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Heads: Elmar Degenhart ++ Donald Trump ++ Kelly Ortberg
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Shadow over the career: The diesel scandal caught up Elmar Degenhart after his resignation
Photo:
Thomas Pirot
When Continental invites you to the Annual General Meeting on Friday, there will be a lot of being split -down of the group and the car division, which will be called “Aumovio” in the future. At the latest, a course ends that Elmar Degenhart (66) followed as a Conti boss. At that time, in 2009, the group had 134,000 Conti employees. When he went in 2020, it was about 236,000. Today Conti wants to remedy itself as quickly as possible. In retrospect, the gloomy diesel dies of the exhaust gas scandal also lay down over Degenhart’s work. The public prosecutor’s office no longer threatens to trouble, but the Conti supervisory board. My colleague Claas Tatje investigated the question What the Degenhart, completely immersed from the public, is doing today
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With his customs -born, Donald Trump (78) car manufacturers not only complicates life in the United States. At Volkswagen, Mercedes or BMW, they are also trembling for their business in China. BMW and Mercedes ship ten thousands of cars from their US works to the Middle Kingdom every year. If the mutual tariffs remain as they are, it costs the huge amount. On the Easter weekend, the group bosses Oliver Zipse (61) and Ola Källenius (55) spoke to Trump, and Volkswagen representatives were also there in Washington. My colleague Michael Freitag reports, How the conversations went
.
Boeing boss Kelly Ortberg (65) started almost unknown air jumps in the first quarter. The long-wound aircraft manufacturer flew thanks to increasing production and delivery figures only a loss of $ 31 million. A year earlier, Boeing had burned $ 355 million.
Company: Porsche ++ Xiaomi ++ Tesla ++ Bohai Trimet
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Doesn’t matter: Porsche Taycan GTS at the fair in Shanghai
Photo: Go Nakamura/ Reuters
Sadger, sad, Taycan: Porsche boss Oliver Blume (56) sees the future of his top-end electric cars in China critically, as my colleague Michael Freitag reports Frisch from the car show in Shanghai. He does not yet know whether a luxury segment for purely electrical vehicles will be formed in China, Blume said
.
With e-cars that look like Taycans, but much less cost, makes a name for itself since a few Xiaomi. Soon probably outside of China. Apparently there is even a debate A development center in Germany.
Tesla is said to have the tachos of his vehicles. The car maker now has to answer for the accusation of manipulation in court. According to the corresponding class action, Tesla is said to have accelerated the mileage in order to push the cars out of the guarantee faster.
Small and medium -sized auto suppliers are currently often appearing in the table of bankruptcy known. Now Bohai Trimet has also caught it. The manufacturer of gearbox, chassis and body parts, based in Harzgerode and around 700 employees do not protect from bankruptcy.
More mobility: Lutzsche Leasinglogik and Lutzsche Lastradstories
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More imagination than money: Bahn boss Richard Lutz wants to rent ICES instead of buying
Photo: Fabian Sommer/ dpa/ picture Alliance
Deutschebahn boss Richard Lutz (60) likes to distribute himself of hard work-he works “easily three hours” before breaking breakfast with his wife. In the eerily state of the state company, the suspicion arises: Lutz may work hard, but too rarely also smart. The next example of this could turn out to be his most recent idea: Lutz does not want to buy ICES, but lease. That would spare the balance sheet at short notice. DB-Cargo boss Sigrid Nikutta (56) shows it, she sells locomotives and cars and rents them again if necessary. Nikutta can be stated that a shrinking freight railway actually needs fewer locomotives. The situation is different in DB long-distance traffic, my colleague Michael Machathatskke knows. He explains Why the Lutzsche leasing logic works economically nonsensical
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It was hard for the cargo bike. First the industry was troubled by the scandal for fragile Babboe frames, then there were bad safety certificates from accident researchers and even the Stiftung Warentest issued bad reviews. Something like this does not remain without consequences: the sales figures in Germany have dropped noticeably. My colleague Lutz Reiche heard about How the cargo bike industry wants to restore your image
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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: City, Land – Foot?
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Photo: Manager Magazin
In the country it doesn’t work without a car. Have heard more often. But does the statement also withstand scientific standards? Researcher of the Tu dresden
Have now at least stated that in rural areas in Germany, the residents covered their paths a little more often by car in 2023 than in 2018 (62 instead of 61 percent), whereas metropolese residents leave the vehicle more often (31 instead of 26 percent). The biggest winner in the urban environment: your own two legs (33 instead of 28 percent).
Number of week: 71
It had already indicated sales figures using the wall: Tesla had an annual start to forget. The car manufacturer’s profit dropped by 71 percent to 409 million euros compared to the previous year, and Tesla only reached a narrow 2.1 percent in the operational margin. The stock still added: Company boss Elon Musk (53) announced on Tuesday evening, to want to devote more of his time to the car manufacturer in the future. Daily Business instead of Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
Ghost driver of the week
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Without help? Xpeng boss He Xiaopeng at least already has Volkswagen as a shareholder on board
Photo: VCG/ Imago
In 2023 in Shanghai and 2024 in Beijing, Chinese car manufacturers were the stars in the ring at their home fairs, and they are also currently tables in Shanghai. But the air becomes thinner. Professor Zhu Xican from the School of Automotive Engineering at the University of Tongqi paints a dark picture even for prominent Chinese upstarts. Opportunities for NIO, XPENG or LI Auto to survive on your own for the next three years? Nor zero
, says the professor. The necessary development costs are too exorbitant, too low the volume of the individual manufacturers. It is quite possible that some of the car attackers will soon end as a ghost driver.
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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