The Xpeng P7 clearly shows what it means to build an electric smart car. The Chinese startup requires around 2,000 semiconductors to produce just one of these electric sports sedans. Among other things, the microchips process the data supplied by 47 sensors, cameras, and microphones installed in the interior alone. Exterior cameras and LiDAR technology […]
A flying vehicle and a toxic green sports car with gullwing doors are parked in front of the Xpeng store in Copenhagen. Naturally, this attracts customers. Although you can’t buy the HT Aero – which looks like an oversized drone – or the futuristic P7 Wing, the effect itself is enough. And, of course, the […]
Battery market leader CATL is building a new factory in Debrecen, Hungary (China.Table reported). The project has an investment volume of the equivalent of €7.34 billion. Mercedes is the largest customer of this factory, but contrary to reports (for example, here or here) it is not deeper involved in the project. “We have the largest […]
It’s a brand name that promises greatness: “Build your dreams” (BYD). The Chinese automaker has attracted a lot of attention in recent months because the brand is on the fast track economically. Two figures prove that very clearly. First, 300 percent. That is how much vehicle sales grew in the first half of 2022. Despite […]
Mercedes is currently experiencing both sides of the crisis. First, overall sales were down 16 percent in the first half of the year compared with the previous year. This decline was spread over a 25 percent drop in China (to 163,700 cars) and a 10 percent drop in Europe (to 154,300 cars). This was caused […]
The market for semiconductors has become a permanent problem for car manufacturers. Demand is rising, but supply is stagnating at best. This has consequences: Not enough cars are being built to meet demand. As a result, profit margins are rising, but manufacturers can forget about their growth strategies. And for a long time. A new […]
Hydrogen will not play a role in individual mobility in the foreseeable future. Not even in China. The technology and infrastructure for battery-electric vehicles are too advanced for that. There are only significant market opportunities in the truck and bus sector. This is how Dirk Niemeier sums up the hydrogen market in the People’s Republic […]
It’s not a single number that makes this McKinsey analysis so devastating for Volkswagen. It’s the sum of its parts. By 2026, the introduction of the new software architecture by VW’s Cariad subsidiary will cost around €3.5 billion more than originally estimated. Over the entire product life cycle (i.e., until 2039), it will be €9.2 […]
While Western airlines like Lufthansa are heading for a recovery, China’s aviation industry is only now really slipping into crisis. The Communist Party’s strict zero-Covid strategy has led to a slump in the number of domestic flights. At the same time, international traffic has almost ground to a halt due to travel restrictions. Compared to […]
Mercedes has often turned its Smart brand inside out. Even before its initial launch, the company scrapped plans to make it an electric car. At the time, this drove away ex-partner Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch brand. Then followed a rescue attempt through cooperation with Nissan. And even the revival of the […]