Dear reader,
In times of crisis at the latest, communication becomes the supreme discipline for companies. The challenge is complex: communicators are supposed to keep the often unsettled workforce happy internally and attract critical journalists externally.
The chief communicators of two crisis candidates, about whom we regularly report in this newsletter, announced their departure this week: At Audi, Dirk Arnold (60) is retiring and handing over to Carolin Strunz (45). At the turn of the year, Kai Lücke (48) will replace Florian Laudan (53) at supplier ZF Friedrichshafen. According to the companies, both changes are taking place at their own request, in keeping with the best corporate communication practices.
Whether voluntary or not: the internal carousel of personnel continues to rotate at least as quickly as the children’s carousel games at the Christmas markets. Our topics of the week also show this:
For Karin Rådström (46), the line between cool and ice cold is thin. The boss of Daimler Truck likes to appear casual in a CI-compliant hoodie, but behind the scenes she also shows herself to be a tough renovator. As a result of its “Cost Down Europe” austerity program, around 5,000 jobs are likely to be lost in Germany. One of the first prominent victims has now been determined: Rådström wants to dissolve the strategy department in its current form. How does this fit into their goal of becoming the “best truck and bus company” in the world? My colleague Margret Hucko has an exclusive researched the background to the remarkable heavy truck pivot
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Christmas time also means forecasting time. Last week, the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers was cautiously optimistic about the 2026 car year in Germany, and the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Trade (ZDK) are now also looking into their crystal balls. The most optimistic are those who usually like to complain: Dealers expect around 2.95 million new car registrations in the coming year and thus growth of up to 4 percent. VDA President Hildegard Müller (58) is hoping for 2.9 million units. The tip of the scale: the purchase bonus for electric cars announced by the federal government.
Deepdrive: What to do about the impending collapse of public transport?
Verdi and the Climate Alliance Germany are sounding the alarm: By 2035, 70 percent of current drivers in local public transport will be leaving. Can collapse still be avoided? One study
says: Basically yes, but a lot has to happen. Unpaid shift times would have to be drastically reduced and split shifts, which disrupt employees’ days, would have to be minimized. This costs money, according to the study authors’ calculations, at least 1.76 billion euros per year. “It’s not peanuts, but it’s not an excessive demand either. Because today we’re overtaxing our employees,” says Andreas Schackert, national group leader for buses and trains at Verdi.
“Driven by Dreams” is Porsche’s current advertising slogan. Hundreds of Porsche drivers in Russia recently experienced their personal nightmare. Suddenly the engines stopped or wouldn’t start. “Driven” became undriveable. The manufacturer wants to get to the bottom of the cause. A not entirely unlikely variant: Hackers could have paralyzed the sports cars. In technical jargon, such cases are also referred to as “KillPills”. Unfortunately, a doctor or pharmacist will hardly be able to help.
Stay brave and get through the week healthy!
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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