Top topic: The management shocker
When my two colleagues Margret Hucko and Michael Freitag recently spoke to executives from the
Volkswagen Group
for research , they reported on a memorable round.
A management consultant
was connected to an internal video conference
, who shook the VW people with his radical views on the transformation of the carmaker.
Since then it was clear to us: we should speak to the man.
Et voilà: Read
the interview with
Engelbert Wimmer here.
Recommended reading: The Patriarch's Legacy
Knorr-Bremse
patriarch
Heinz Hermann Thiele
left a great life 's
work and one of the largest fortunes ever inherited in Germany.
Although a will was opened shortly after his death a year ago, the estate is to be incorporated into a family foundation.
But since then everyone has been waiting.
My colleagues Angela Maier and Michael Freitag have researched how to proceed.
You describe an industrial group that lacks center and pace – because a handful of people are pursuing their own interests.
Heads: Dame Polly Courtice ++ Carlos Tavares ++ Michael Lohscheller ++ Anne Hidalgo
Dame Polly Courtice
(69) and
Marco Gobbetti
(63) are to join the
Mercedes-Benz
supervisory board .
She is one of the most respected sustainability experts in the world.
He is a veteran luxury executive with CEO positions at Moschino, Givenchy, Celine, Burberry and most recently Farragamo.
Two truly remarkable personalities.
Carlos Tavares
(63), known as the car world's toughest cost killer, exceeded all expectations
in the first year after the merger of PSA and Fiat-Chrysler to form
Stellantis .
13.4 billion euros net profit was around three times as much as before the merger - for Tavares the proof of concept.
Michael Lohscheller
(53), as ex-Opel boss also ex-Tavares subordinate, makes another daring career step.
After a short stint as CEO of the Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast, he was hired as president of the scandal-plagued electric truck company
Nikola
in the USA.
Anne Hidalgo
(62), mayor of Paris and current queen of new mobility ideas, wants to make the center of the metropolis car-free.
A little at least and only from 2024 - but still très innovative.
Company: Porsche ++ Avtovas ++ Lotus ++ Volta
The
Volkswagen Group
is examining the partial sale of its crown jewel.
If
all goes well,
Porsche AG will go public.
The mega-IPO would flush the company billions into the coffers - and through a clever construction, the owner families
Porsche
and
Piëch
would regain power over their favorite brand.
My colleague Michael Freitag describes the spectacular details of the maneuver (and also the initial irritation of the surprised Qatari shareholders).
The car business in Russia was so bad recently that
Porsche
's Russia boss
Thomas Stärtzel saw
"no signs of a quick improvement".
Now war is threatening and with it sanctions that could also affect the factories of the car companies.
Market leader
Renault
is already preparing for an emergency with its joint venture
Avtovas
.
Car brand collector
Li Shufu
(58) - a kind of Chinese mini-piëch
-
seems to want to list just about everything from his Geely empire that investors pay money for (see
Volvo
or
Polestar
).
Insofar as it is logical that he also plays through the capital market debut of the deceased sports car brand
Lotus
.
Li Shufu wants to rebuild them, Lotus just celebrated for 1710 cars sold last year.
Maybe the investor money will help.
The Swedish start-up
Volta
, which builds chassis for electric delivery vehicles (optimized with a centrally positioned driver's seat) receives fresh capital: 230 million euros.
That's good, but will probably only be sufficient to a limited extent when series production of the first 16-ton model begins at the end of the year.
Deep Drive: Study of the week
Many electric cars need many battery cells.
The engineering associations VDI and VDE analyzed the situation in the fourth quarter of 2022 in their market overview.
Result: The cell production planned in Europe will cover the demand, but a considerable shortage of raw materials is to be expected.
And there is also a graphically prepared overview of the European projects.
New Mobility: Autonomous Driving ++ Data Act ++ Lyft ++ E-Scooter
Transport Minister
Volker Wissing
(51) wants to bring robot cars onto the streets.
On Wednesday, the federal cabinet passed a regulation for the approval of cars with level L4 autonomous driving functions.
O-Ton Wissing: "The fact that autonomous vehicles will be able to take part in normal road traffic with us in the future is unique in the world and was an enormous feat."
Good ride!
The mobility industry is not quite so happy about the draft of EU Commissioners
Margrethe Vestager
(53) and
Thierry Breton
(67) for the new Data Act.
The idea that the data from the cars should primarily belong to the buyers in the future is – well – not exactly ideal.
The industry fears for its new business models.
In San Francisco you can rent bikes from
Lyft
, for a fee, of course.
After recent price increases, the city is now considering terminating the exclusive contract and offering it yourself.
Estimated cost: up to $18 million annually.
ghost driver of the week
US superstar
LeBron James
(37) advertises the new electric Hummer.
In addition to Missy Elliott
's amazing music, the spot focuses
on one feature in particular: the lobster's crab walk.
The SUV has been delivered since December 2021 - but if you still want to fish for one, you're too late: sold out.
crap!
I wish you an eventful week!
Sincerely yours, Lukas Heiny