H1 2015 – it’s been and gone, and what a half it proved to be.
One of the biggest stories was, of course, the public spat between Martin Winterkorn and Ferdinand Piech, which ended with the shock resignation of Volkswagen’s long-standing Chairman. There was a surprise change at Volvo Truck, too, when Scania’s Chief Executive Martin Lundstedt was named as Per Olofsson’s replacement as AB Volvo’s Chief Executive.
Other, calmer Chief Executive changes included BMW Group’s appointment of Harald Krüger, Honda’s appointment of Takahiro Hachigo, and Visteon’s choice of former Harman Infotainment President, Sachin Lawande.
Download Automotive World’s latest report: “The auto industry in 2015: half-term report”
Billed as the year of supplier consolidation, 2015 has certainly delivered. The year began with some serious Harman-isation, as the audio and infotainment supplier announced a near billion dollar package to acquire Red Bend and Symphony Teleca; a few months later, it also snapped up Bang & Olufsen Automotive. Classic brands began to change hands, with ChemChina finally snagging Pirelli and GO Scale Capital, a Chinese-backed investment fund, securing 80.1% of Philips’ LED and car lighting business. The need to focus on core competencies led to Magna selling its interiors division to Grupo Antolin, and JCI considering exiting automotive activities. And in the search for autonomous drive capabilities, ZF completed its TRW acquisition, and Continental announced that it would buy Elektrobit’s automotive operations.
In terms of technology, Daimler’s F 015 Luxury in Motion concept grabbed the mainstream headlines at CES, and triggered open debate on autonomous cars. In the world of infotainment, meanwhile, the race is on for control of the head unit, with Apple (CarPlay) and Google (Android Auto) going head to head with the OEMs. And at the back of everyone’s mind is the tricky subject of cyber security, a topic which could just be the key automotive issue in 2015. Fail to secure the connected car, and we risk everything that this technology can offer.
Self-driving vehicle technology isn’t restricted to cars – in May, Daimler secured a license to test self-driving trucks in Nevada. The Freightliner Inspiration truck was unveiled just a matter of weeks after Daimler displayed its 12.2 mpg Freightliner SuperTruck at MATS 2015. Learnings from that concept will be vital to meet new, tightened emissions regulations: mid-June saw the long-awaited publication of the draft phase II rule on US greenhouse gas emissions.
In Automotive World’s latest report, “The auto industry in 2015: half-term report”, key stakeholders offer unique insight into the developments of the global automotive industry, and look ahead to the second half and full year
From the emissions race to zero emissions racing: in June, London played host to the finale of the inaugural Formula E race series, won by e.dams-Renault and Nelson Piquet Jr. That’s the easy bit; the real challenge is to turn that success into EV sales.
In Automotive World’s latest report, “The auto industry in 2015: half-term report”, key stakeholders from the global light vehicle, trucking and supplier sectors offer unique insight into the developments of the global automotive industry in the first half of 2015, and look ahead to the second half and full year.
Here’s to H2!
Martin Kahl, Editor, Automotive World
Download Automotive World’s latest report: “The auto industry in 2015: half-term report”
