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☆ China economy: Young people in China aren’t spending on romance. That’s a problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Chris Lau | Hassan Tayir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“The Qixi Festival is not as robust as previous years. Couples attend a kissing contest during the traditional Qixi festival in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning province, on August 13, 2013. “The only part of the world where consumer confidence remains very low is China,” L’Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus told analysts on an earnings call late last month. Lower-than-expected growth in the global beauty sector this year is largely a consequence of low consumer confidence in China, he added. People take photos at a bus stop decorated with flowers during Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine's Day, on August 22, 2023 in Chongqing, China.

Persons: China’s, Louis Vuitton, ”, forlornly, Huang Jinkun, Alfred Wu, Lee, “, Yeap Jun Rong, Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan, Stringer, De Beers, That’s, Niulang, Nicolas Hieronimus, Joanne Wilson, didn’t, ” Mercedes, Ola Kaellenius Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Weibo, CNN, Qixi, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, Volkswagen, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Getty, Diamond, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Global, WPP, China News Service, Mercedes, ” Mercedes Benz Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shenyang, Liaoning province, Beijing, China's Liaoning province, AFP, Chongqing

☆ Volkswagen's Europe and US sales offset China weakness in Q3
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Christoph Steitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Volkswagen group delivered 2.34 million vehicles in total in July-September. In China, deliveries fell 5.8% to 837,200, the company said, joining rival German carmakers in reporting a quarterly decline there. Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE) earlier this week said their third-quarter sales in China fell, with the former hit by supply chain issues and model changes. Still, car sales in China continued a recovery in September, rising for the second consecutive month, benefiting from stronger demand and new models ahead of key holidays. Volkswagen recorded a 40.5% increase in deliveries of all-electric vehicles to 209,900 in the third quarter, accounting for 9% of group deliveries.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, carmaker, Ola Kaellenius, Hildegard Wortmann, Christoph Steitz, Tristan Chabba, Rachel More, Mark Potter Organizations: Volkswagen, REUTERS, German, Mercedes, Benz, BMW, Thomson Locations: Salzgitter, Germany, China, FRANKFURT, Europe, North America, Zwickau

☆ Volkswagen's Europe, U.S. vehicle deliveries offset China weakness in Q3
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Volkswagen employees stand next to Volkswagen electric cars during a ceremony at German carmaker Volkswagen's first battery cell production plant 'SalzGiga' in Salzgitter, Germany, July 7, 2022. Overall, Volkswagen recorded group deliveries of 2.34 million vehicles in the July-September period. In China, deliveries fell 5.8% to 837,200 in the period, Volkswagen said, joining rival German carmakers in unveiling a quarterly drop. Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE) earlier this week saw their third-quarter sales in China fall, with the former being hit by supply chain issues and model changes. Car sales in China still continued their recovery in September, rising for the second consecutive month, benefiting from stronger demand and new models ahead of key holidays.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, Ola Kaellenius, Christoph Steitz, Tristan Chabba, Rachel More Organizations: Volkswagen, REUTERS, Rights, German, Benz, BMW, carmakers, Thomson Locations: Salzgitter, Germany, Europe, North America, China

☆ Exclusive: China's Nio explores investment, tech alliances with Mercedes - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nio, when contacted, denied it talked to Mercedes on a collaboration, calling it "untrue", without elaborating. Mercedes said in a separate response that there were no collaboration plans with Nio at the moment. Chinese EV companies may also be able to navigate potential trade barriers better by forging such tie-ups. Nio, whose investors include Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK), has publicly called for more such tie-ups with established automakers. ($1 = 7.3127 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: William Li, Ola Kaellenius, Nio, Mercedes, Leapmotor, Elon Musk, Tesla, Nio's Li, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Ilona Wissenbach, Muralikumar Organizations: HK, Mercedes, Benz, Nio, EV, Volkswagen, SAIC, Audi, VW's, Tencent Holdings, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, Tesla, Frankfurt

REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth Acquire Licensing RightsMUNICH, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) does not expect its sales in Europe to be all-electric by 2030 but will have its line-up ready, Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius said in an interview at the Munich car show. The premium carmaker has long said it is targeting all-electric sales by 2030 "where markets allow", saying customers will ultimately decide what product they want and pointing to the need for infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles (EV). Europe's EV market had grown significantly in recent years but likely wouldn't be ready for all-electric sales by 2030, Kaellenius said on the sidelines of the Munich show. "It's not going to be 100% in 2030, obviously... from the whole European market, but probably from the Mercedes side as well," he said. EV sales in Europe grew nearly 55% in the first seven months of 2023, to about 820,000 vehicles, making up about 13% of all car sales.

Persons: Mercedes, Angelika Warmuth, Ola Kaellenius, Kaellenius, It's, Oliver Zipse, Oliver Blume, Victoria Waldersee, Miranda Murray, Susan Fenton Organizations: Benz, REUTERS, Rights, Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Victoria, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Europe, China

☆ Mercedes boss: EV costs will remain higher for foreseeable future
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ola Kaellenius's comments come as Mercedes-Benz disclosed more details about its newest electric vehicle architecture, the CLA compact electric sedan, which will launch next year and target 30% to 35% more driving range. "The variable costs for an electric car are higher. It will remain that way for the foreseeable future," Kaellenius told journalists at the IAA car show in Munich, adding higher costs could not be passed on to customers on a like for like basis. Variable costs weighing on the price tag of EV production include raw materials for batteries, software development, and electricity prices. Batteries for the CLA will be produced by key supplier CATL (300750.SZ) and ACC, in which Mercedes owns a third.

Persons: Ola Kaellenius's, Kaellenius, Markus Schaefer, Mercedes, Schaefer, Christina Amann, Christoph Steitz, Frances Kerry Organizations: Benz, Mercedes, IAA, ACC, Victoria, Thomson Locations: Woodstock , Alabama, MUNICH, Munich

Mercedes will also offer a lithium-iron-phosphate, or LFP, battery in the new CLA model lineup due to hit showrooms in early 2025, a first for any Mercedes EV, the CEO said in an interview. Mercedes will preview the future electric CLA with a prototype to be unveiled at the IAA auto show in Munich, Germany on Sunday. Getting more driving range using less energy from the battery is the key target for the German automaker's future EV development, Kaellenius said. Driving range remains a critical competitive benchmark in the EV market. Mercedes engineers have been testing ways to improve EV efficiency using long road trips in a prototype vehicle called the Vision EQXX.

Persons: Ola Kaellenius, Mercedes, Tesla, Kaellenius, Joe White, Susan Fenton Organizations: DETROIT, Benz, Reuters, EV, Tesla, Sunday, VW, Consumers, Thomson Locations: China, Munich, Germany, Europe, United States

Delivering affordable electric vehicles (EVs) has become a priority for car makers worldwide as the shift to cleaner driving has come with high prices, due largely to battery costs. In 2022, Chinese car makers had a 9% share of Europe's EV market, nearly double the previous year's figure, according to forecasts by consultancy Inovev. Tavares said Western car makers needed to use "the same weapons" as their Chinese rivals, sourcing parts in lower cost countries and striking partnerships with battery suppliers that offer the best combination of energy, cost and weight. Once-dominant Western automakers are also striving to regain ground in China itself, the world's largest car market, after losing share to local manufacturers. Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) said on Thursday it was sticking to its strategy and would not engage in a price war to "buy" market share in China.

Persons: France's, Thierry Pieton, Luca de Meo, Tesla, Carlos Tavares, Tavares, Mercedes, Ola Kaellenius, Kaellenius, Victoria Waldersee, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter Organizations: Western, France's Renault, Finance, Renault, SAIC, Inovev, Jato, Tesla, Peugeot, Fiat, Benz, Mercedes, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, Western, China, Berlin

☆ China to be centre of Mercedes-Benz 2025 EV sales drive, Automobilwoche says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, July 23 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) is making China, the world's top auto market, central to its next electric vehicle (EV) campaign starting in 2025, its CEO told German magazine Automobilwoche. From 2025, all of Mercedes-Benz's new vehicle platforms will only make EVs under a strategy the German luxury automaker outlined in 2021. A senior executive told Automobilwoche the models the company plans to launch in China based on the upcoming MB.EA platform were being reviewed to ensure they better meet the needs of local customers, singling out space and digital content. China remains the most relevant market for Germany's automakers, but local brands are in control with an 81% share of the Chinese EV market in 2022, Counterpoint Research found. China also has a significant stake in Mercedes-Benz, whose top two shareholders are Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd (1958.HK) and Geely (GEELY.UL) Chairman Li Shufu.

Persons: Ola Kaellenius, Automobilwoche, Li Shufu, Christoph Steitz, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Benz, Mercedes, EV, Research, Beijing Automotive Group Co, HK, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, China, Berlin, Ukraine

☆ Mercedes to extend CEO Kaellenius' contract - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, July 6 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz wants to extend Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius' contract, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday, confirming a report in the Handelsblatt business daily. The person said no surprises were expected on the question of another term for Kaellenius, which would keep the 54-year-old at the helm of the German carmaker until at least mid-2029. Kaellenius' contract is currently set to expire in May 2024. Handelsblatt reported that a supervisory board decision was expected on the matter this summer. Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; writing by Miranda Murray and Rachel More; editing by Sabine Wollrab, Matthias Williams, Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ola Kaellenius, Kaellenius, Handelsblatt, Ilona Wissenbach, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Sabine Wollrab, Matthias Williams, Madeline Chambers Organizations: Benz, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BERLIN

REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSummarySummary Companies Germany unveils first ever National Security StrategyDocument reflects growing focus on security over economyContains strong criticism of China but does not mention TaiwanImplementation could be hampered by lack of Security CouncilBERLIN, June 14 (Reuters) - China poses a growing threat to global security, Germany said in its first national security strategy on Wednesday, underscoring Berlin's shift in emphasis from economic interests to geopolitics following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It also omits some major issues, such as Taiwan, and as expected, does not create a National Security Council that would help its implementation. "We paid for every cubic metre of Russian gas twofold and threefold with our national security." Russia is the top threat to European peace "for now", the National Security Strategy (NSS) said. "The good thing is that German companies are drawing similar conclusions to the German federal government," she said.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Fabrizio Bensch, cyberattacks, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Annalena Baerbock, Ola Kaellenius, Baerbock, Noah Barkin, Norbert Roettgen, Scholz, Christian Lindner, Andreas Rinke, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Madeline Chambers, Christoph Steitz, Angus MacSwan, Mark Potter, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Germany, Security, BERLIN, Security Council, National Security, NSS, Volkswagen, BASF, BMW, Benz, NATO, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Beijing, Asia, Russia, Moscow, Europe, Moldova, Georgia

"We'll make your life easier and help you set up shop here," he told ProLogium's Chief Executive Vincent Yang. It is one of four such gigafactories Macron hopes will transform the poor, former coal mining area near Belgium into a hub for the EV battery industry, creating jobs and helping to put France at the forefront of Europe's energy transition. "Results don't just fall from the sky," Macron told Reuters in Dunkirk. At the moment, however, France lags well behind Germany when it comes to attracting battery makers. Still, the IRA almost threw ProLogium's investment in France off course, one French presidential adviser told Reuters.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Vincent Yang, Ludovic Marin, Taiwan's ProLogium, Macron, Yang, ProLogium, we've, it's, ACC's, Heiner Heimes, Stellantis, Mercedes, Ola Kaellenius, Marc Mortureux, We're, GUY, Xavier Bertrand, ProLogium's Yang, Fabien Roussel, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Silvia Aloisi, David Clarke Organizations: Business, EV, Macron, ACC, Mercedes, Reuters, RWTH Aachen University, Automotive Cells Company, Franco, Benz Group, EU, PFA French, U.S . IRA, French Communist Party, Thomson Locations: of Versailles, Paris, France, Versailles, Dunkirk, Germany, Netherlands, Taiwan, Belgium, EUROPE, Korean, United States, Europe, French, Hungary, Italy, Brussels, Washington

☆ Cutting ties with China is 'unthinkable', Mercedes-Benz CEO tells Bild am Sonntag
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

But Ola Kaellenius said decoupling from China, the world's second largest economy, was "unthinkable for almost all of German industry". "The major players in the global economy, Europe, the U.S. and China, are so closely intertwined that decoupling from China makes no sense," he was quoted as saying. German carmakers depend on the Chinese car market, the world's largest, and Mercedes-Benz counts China's Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd (1958.HK) and Geely Chairman Li Shufu as its two top shareholders. China accounted for 18% of revenues and 37% of car sales at Mercedes-Benz in 2022 and Kaellenius predicted more to come. "Our sales figures in China are increasing and I am quite optimistic that we will also grow this year.

☆ Mercedes-Benz cars to have 'supercomputers', unveils Google partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the car companies also want to keep control over their customer relationships as well as valuable data generated by their cars. Mercedes-Benz is moving from a patchwork approach of integrating software from a range of suppliers to controlling the core of its software. Under the Google partnership, Google Maps will be Mercedes-branded and provide drivers with Google traffic information and automatic rerouting, as well as the ability to watch YouTube on the cars' entertainment system when the car is parked, or in Level 3 autonomous driving mode. Google and Mercedes-Benz also agreed to explore further collaboration with Google Cloud data and artificial intelligence capabilities. Others carmakers like General Motors, Renault (RENA.PA), Nissan (7201.T) and Ford (F.N) have embedded an entire package of Google services into their vehicles, offering features like Google Maps, Google Assistant and other applications.

☆ Mercedes to drop EQ product brand -Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) is set to drop the EQ product brand for battery-electric cars as soon as the next generation of compact cars, set to be on the market from the end of 2024, German daily Handelsblatt said on Thursday, citing company sources. The decision is based on Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius' focus on electric-only cars, making the EQ brand redundant as Mercedes turns away from the combustion engine, Handelsblatt cited the sources as saying. The German carmaker now markets its all-electric model series under the EQ brand, first announced in 2016, with its first model, the EQC electric SUV, launched in 2019. Mercedes did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mercedes-Benz has further gas reduction plans in back pocket, production chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe Mercedes-Benz logo is seen at the 43rd Bangkok International Motor Show, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 22, 2022. Chief executive Ola Kaellenius said in July a 10% gas reduction had already been achieved and that a further reduction of up to half could be implemented. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterStill, all contingency plans to prevent a production halt depended on supplier networks managing to deliver parts, Burzer warned. read moreVolkswagen said it had already reduced its gas intake by over 20% and could reduce it further to a mid double-digit percentage. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Victoria Waldersee, editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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