Feb. 3, 2022 | How BMW, Mercedes gain from Magna's close ties with startups

Automakers and suppliers don't feel properly prepared to defend the forthcoming wave of software-defined cars against hackers, according to a recent study. Capgemini's Jean-Marie Lapeyre explains why that is very encouraging.

BorgWarner wants 25 percent of its total global revenue by 2025 to come from supplying EVs by 2025, up from 5 percent now. A key contract with BMW has the company on track to reaching the tough target, top exec Arnaldo Iezzi says.

Henrik Fisker says that to make the startup electric car maker that carries his name different from VW and BMW it needed to develop its vehicles in record time. The aim is to make sure models such as the new Ocean are as high tech as any consumer electronics product on the market.

TomTom Automotive Managing Director Antoine Saucier says the supplier's close partnership with VW Group's software arm, Cariad, means a navigation system update could take place in as little as an hour.

The chip crisis has put automakers in an unfamiliar position. They can't get enough semiconductors to keep their assembly lines running. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares blames Tier 1s for the problem, but supplier expert David Opsahl says that position is "off base."

Mate Rimac likes to say that VW, Porsche and Hyundai have invested hundreds of millions of euros in his education. He plans to use what he has learned to create new-generation Bugattis "without spending billions."

Magna Steyr vice president of sales and marketing Kurt Bachmaier explains why working with startups has been so beneficial to the contract manufacturer's relations with BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar.

ZipCharge says 40 percent of EV owners can't replenish their battery packs at home. Company co-founder Jonathan Carrier says these folks usually have to use the public infrastructure -- which costs much more -- creating an inequality gap that the mobility startup wants to remedy.

Aiways turns 5 years old this year, but its head of overseas operations, Alexander Klose, believes it already has an advantage over its much more experienced rivals in Europe. He plans to leverage the Chinese startup's electric-only credentials to reach five-digit sales figures in the region this year.

Finnish renewable materials company Stora Enso says it has found a way to replace the graphite used in lithium ion batteries with lignin, which it extracts from trees. Lauri Lehtonen, who is head of innovation at the company's biomaterials division, explains the process and outlines the potential benefits for automakers.