John Irwin

A new leather-wrapping solution developed by Faurecia could allow automakers to offer more unique designs in their vehicle interiors and localize more of the production process.

Bosch is building flexible lines that can support e-motor configurations that vary from customer to customer.

Automakers are already beginning to alter 2023 production plans to brace for millions more vehicles lost to microchip shortage.

Bosch said it has secured "additional electromobility business" that requires an expansion at its South Carolina plant, which began producing electric motors for the Rivian R1T pickup this month.

The British startup says its data can make roads safer, travel more efficient and automakers less isolated.

Some auto companies are automating aspects of their parts purchasing processes in an attempt to give their purchasing teams more time to manage increasingly complex supply chain issues.

Mercedes is the latest brand to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms to power its vehicles' digital cockpits and telematics system, joining Stellantis, Hyundai, Renault, Volvo, BMW and VW.

The CEO at a Tier 1 supplier told an industry conference this month that several of his smaller European subsuppliers have recently gone bankrupt. "I think every week we have a bankrupt subsupplier in Europe," he said.

Forvia, the supplier formed by Faurecia's acquisition of Hella this year, came into being in large part because of Faurecia's need to add more software engineers to its ranks.

The supplier will look like a different company as it adapts to electrification and increased automation, CEO Stefan Hartung said.

Magna reported a loss in the second quarter as the supplier grappled with higher commodities and energy costs and the impact of the Ukraine war.

Suppliers are still bearing the brunt of increased material costs and supply chain shortages since at least last year, even as sales grew.

The Einride Pod will be remotely monitored by a human operator, while transporting goods on public roads with mixed traffic.

Automakers and suppliers are creating oceans of new data that need to be managed and analyzed. Who better to partner with than Google, Microsoft, Amazon and other global giants of cloud commerce?

Two years of disruptions caused by the pandemic, the microchip shortage and a wide range of supply chain challenges are prompting automakers and suppliers to pursue a better sense of where their parts are.