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Apple headquarters: tech companies lure developers of classic car companies
Photo: Carles Rabada / unsplash
Engineers who tinker with the chassis or develop modern drive trains, designers who create new interior concepts - technicians are the secret stars of the automotive industry.
But although they are indispensable for industrial flagships such as the Porsche Taycan or the Mercedes S-Class, in contrast to their creations, they are rarely in the limelight.
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Only spectacular changes will change that - especially when the path leads from a classic car manufacturer to a start-up or technology group.
Until February of this year, the name Manfred Harrer was not a household name.
Public appearances by the Porsche manager were rare, but Harrer is considered one of the best and most experienced chassis developers in the VW group.
In 2016 he became head of chassis development, most recently he was responsible for the Cayenne series, previously he worked for Audi and BMW - and is now switching from the sports car manufacturer in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to the technology giant Apple.
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Apple instead of Porsche: suspension specialist Manfred Harrer moves to Silicon Valley
Photo: Daniel Wollstein / Porsche
“The American headhunting is amazing,” said a former VW manager to the “Businessinsider” portal at the time, describing Harrer as a “hidden champion”.
He is a quiet guy with no need for recognition, but the measure of all things in his field.
However, Harrer is not an isolated case - switching to tech companies or start-ups is a trend in the automotive world.
Although the large car manufacturers are still considered attractive employers, experts from established industry giants are increasingly drawn to start-ups and technology groups, either to Silicon Valley or China.
The frenzy of the stock market makes e-car start-ups even more attractive
The sometimes astronomical market values of the newcomers also help: The Chinese start-up Nio, whose sales in 2020 were around 2.5 billion US dollars, is worth 68 billion US dollars on the stock exchange.
For comparison: General Motors has a market value of 86 billion US dollars - with sales of around 122 billion US dollars last year.
The electrical frenzy on the stock exchanges makes start-ups attractive, and at the same time the economic risk of switching is apparently low.
The salaries at e-car startups are competitive with those of the long-established manufacturers, and they usually also offer valuable stock options, explains Jan Burgard from the strategy consultancy Berylls.
And they can bring the employees a fortune, should the course soar as with Tesla or Nio.
Quick decisions instead of tedious committee work
The technicians are not only attracted by the money, but also by a different way of working.
This is due to the rigid structures of the established manufacturers, explains Burgard: »EV startups appear different;
you discover a problem, develop a solution and implement it directly.
That has a liberating effect. «With classic manufacturers, there are numerous committees and decision-making levels between the idea and practical implementation.
"As a result of these processes, it takes much longer as a developer to go into practical implementation," says Burgard.
It is not only faster for start-ups than for classic car companies, tech companies such as Apple or Sony are also developing faster.
Izumi Kawanishi, head of the artificial intelligence division at Sony, who is also responsible for the company's vehicle project, tells SPIEGEL that tech companies are “very fast and agile”, while car companies are “more constant like a waterfall”.
A touch of adventure for the résumé
Start-ups such as Lucid, Rivian or Faraday Future also tend to come from the tech direction and are often ahead of well-known car manufacturers when it comes to e-mobility and software.
Developers and designers from corporations score points with newcomers with classic car knowledge - and often only make sure that a wild idea really turns into a functioning car.
According to Peter Rawlinson, the former chief engineer of the series, the advance development of the Tesla Model S was a "disaster" when he signed on with the Californians.
The design was already in place, and the experienced engineer helped Tesla to get all the components into the car.
However, the technicians not only bring knowledge with them.
You can learn an incredible amount there, says Burgard - and increase your own market value.
"A change there is an investment in your own future, enriched with a touch of adventure," explains Burgard.
The meaning of one's own work is easier to see
Peter Rawlinson became, in a sense, a pioneer of this strategy.
The former chief engineer of the sports car manufacturer Lotus, who previously also worked at Jaguar, joined Tesla in 2009.
There he was chief engineer at Model S, the first mass-produced model of the Californians - and laid the foundation for a leap to the board level.
In 2013 he moved to the start-up Lucid, where he became chief technology officer, and since 2019 he has also been CEO.
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The engineer and his work: Peter Rawlinson in front of the body of a Tesla Model S at the Detroit auto show in 2011
Photo: UPI Photo / imago images
However, Rawlinson not only provided a career blueprint, he also explained to SPIEGEL at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show what makes working for a newcomer to electronics like Tesla so special: "We started on a blank sheet of paper and developed the car ourselves from front to back."
Such possibilities are in demand with many today, explains consultant Burgard.
Because the search for the meaning of one's own actions is playing an increasingly important role in the modern working world.
"This purpose is much more tangible at an EV startup, where you have noticeably more freedom."
However, engineers and designers are not only drawn to California.
In China, companies such as Nio, Xpeng or Byton attract skilled workers.
For a long time Byton was known as "Tesla made in China", which contained a lot of specialist knowledge from the old automotive world.
The CEO at the start of the brand was Carsten Breitfeld, who was previously responsible for BMW's spectacular i8 hybrid sports car and proudly announced that the company wanted to become »the Apple of the auto industry«.
In addition to Breitfeld, Benoit Jacob, who was responsible for design at BMW's electrical brand "i", switched to Byton.
However, the start-up also showed the risks such a change entails: Byton stopped its production plans in 2020 and was plagued by high debts.
A partnership with the Apple manufacturer Foxconn could save the company.
Breitfeld had already left before, he is now the head of the Chinese-funded start-up Faraday Future.
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First BMW, then Byton and finally Faraday Future: i8 developer Carsten Breitfeld
Photo: Javier Rojas / ZUMA Press / imago images
Despite such upheavals, start-ups in China are attractive to many developers.
In China in particular, you have the feeling that you have your finger on the pulse, says consultant Burgard - and that "in the world's most important car market."
Rivian, Tesla, Geely: where well-known developers go
Rivian's British Column Up Arrow Down Arrow
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The Rivian R1T electric pickup
Photo: NATHAN FRANDINO / REUTERS
The electric start-up Rivian initially made headlines with its pick-up, but will also manufacture delivery vehicles for Amazon in the future.
Some experts who previously worked for British manufacturers work at the start-up, for example
Richard Farquhar
, head of the powertrain department; he previously worked for sports car manufacturers McLaren and Lotus; at McLaren, Farquhar was Director of Powertrain & Vehicle Engineering.
Even
Barry Lett
, Rivians Head of Advanced Concepts previously worked for McLaren, the same applies to body engineers
Graham Meeks
, he was previously Head of Engineering Body of the sports car manufacturer.
The import experts of the Geely universe Up arrow Down arrow
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Geely is comparatively unknown in this country, but there is a lot of European know-how in the Chinese car company
Photo: ALY SONG / REUTERS
Geely is best known in Europe for its subsidiaries Volvo and Polestar, but the Chinese group actually owns other brands, such as LEVC, the former London Taxi Company.
The head of the company is
Jörg Hofmann
, who previously worked at Audi where, among other things, he was responsible for business in Brazil.
The Geely brand Lynk & Co is headed by the former Opel marketing director
Alain Visser
, and Geely himself is apparently also getting prominent reinforcements:
According to media reports,
Bentley's former head of design
Stefan Sielaff is switching
to Geely.
Tesla's Problem Solver Up Arrow Down Arrow
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Several technicians from the Old World helped Tesla bring models to market and ramp up production, including Jerome Guillen
Photo: DPA
Jerome Guillen
was originally Daimler's man for the future.
He headed Daimler Business Innovation, launched the car sharing service Car2Go and was considered one of the most gifted in the group.
However, the engineer left the Swabian automaker and went to Tesla.
The task there, he explained to “manager magazin” in 2014, was a bigger challenge.
“Elon Musk offered me to get the Model S ready for the market and to set up production.
At that time he had no other car in the pipeline, and the first project, the roadster, had come to an end.
If the Model S hadn't worked, Tesla would no longer exist today.
It doesn't get much more responsibility than that, ”Guillen explained his move.
At Tesla he headed the automotive division for a long time, but recently moved to another department at the manufacturer: since mid-March he has been responsible for the Californian truck division.
Peter Hochholdinger
is considered the most talented German mercenary in the US auto industry
.
The former Audi manager showed Tesla the way out of the production hell when the Model X started up in 2016 and increased the number of units in a short time.
He left Tesla three years later and went to competitor Lucid like Peter Rawlinson.
What is striking is the shortage of women among the prominent changers.
"Women have so far been underrepresented in development departments, but also in car design," explains strategy consultant Burgard.
Although he sees a positive development due to a growing proportion of women, there have been no prominent examples of switching to a newcomer to electronics.
There are evidently special hurdles for women, especially on the way to China.
Companies there mostly relied on recommendations and networks.
"Women are currently still disadvantaged due to their small number in these networks." That will change, however, as female specialists from established manufacturers are increasingly going to China, explains Burgard.
In addition, women have made it to the executive floors of the auto industry, such as GM boss Mary Barra, Mercedes sales manager Britta Seeger or Hildegard Wortmann, marketing director at Audi.
At least in China, however, the developers could run out of time.
Because the demand from Chinese companies for Western experts will not last forever, warns consultant Burgard.
"As soon as these companies have absorbed the knowledge of the foreign experts, they develop these things themselves."
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