CATL and Tesla: how China is winning the EV batteries competition
The current EV battery industry, with a few big companies, is very much an oligopoly. And the major ones all come from Asia, Korea, Japan and of course, China. Chinese CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, or in Chinese 宁德时代 – Níngdé shídài)...
McLaren and Ferrari: matching product diversification strategies?
In 2019, Ferrari and McLaren both launched two new models that expanded their respective lineup and market coverage. The Roma and the GT, which especially for McLaren Automotive represents a totally new segment, aim at competing with models such as...
Marketing Racing #2: Bentley bets on sustainability as it turns 100 years old
Differently from the example of marketing strategy analysed in the previous article, this one might seem less ‘unexpected’. It is noteworthy nonetheless for the range of business aspects it involved and ultimately for its daring commitment, which was...
Marketing Racing #1: A Porsche at a gaming convention
This new article is numbered because I want this to become a regular series for me to revisit and analyse unique or particularly innovative marketing campaigns. Marketing Racing is about the competition within the luxury performance automotive industry...
Tesla is the world’s second most valuable car company. Is it worth investing in?
As I am writing this article, Tesla shares trade on the NASDAQ for around $750 each. Its market capitalisation is currently well over $100 billion and has overtaken Volkswagen as the second most valuable automotive company in the world. It is now...
How VW turned Lamborghini into the success it is today?
Lamborghini today is a strong and fast-growing company. In the last two years, its already growing sales have literally skyrocketed as the firm took advantage of the SUV craze that dominates every segment of the automotive market. LAMBORGHINI'S SALES...
Can DBX save Aston Martin Lagonda?
The long-awaited, leaked and reported SUV by Aston Martin finally dropped on November 20th, 2019. Can the DBX help Aston solve its difficult financial situation and get up again? Everybody in the industry seems to agree on the fact that the SUV is the...
AML jumps 20% up amidst Stroll stake acquisition rumour
On Thursday, December 5th, a rumour started to spread through the internet according to which Canadian billionaire Mr. Lawrence Stroll would have been about to complete the acquisition of a major stake in Aston Martin Lagonda. After a difficult year,...
The Future of Motorsports through Social Media
Rising numbers of young fans are sparking a Motorsport renaissance through social media. How does it happen? And can this wave favour car manufacturers? Formula 1, referred to by many as the pinnacle of motorsport, in 2018 registered its second year in...
China's EV Challenge: Are foreign Automakers up for it?
The favourite slogans of a certain part of experts or news outlets about the automotive industry, especially those involved with Asian markets has been quite ‘menacing’ lately for well-established firms. It is quite common to see titles such as “China...
Tailor-made: What luxury car customers can't go without
‘Because I buy so many new Ferraris, at some point you run out of ideas. When I came to the idea of doing a spec to pay tribute to the 250 Lusso Competizione, then it made it a lot easier’ says Ferrari collector and entrepreneur David Lee...
Is the future of supercar electric? New challenges from China
China wants to take the future of supercars by storm. A new generation of start-ups challenging the supremacy of Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, and others in the field of luxury cars – sleek, powerful, and fast - is emerging in the...
The ingredient that can make or break the new car industry
"If cobalt falls into the hands of the Chinese, yeah you won't see electric vehicles (EV) being produced in Europe, etc. They are waking up too late. I think it's because the car industry has never had a supply chain problem before". During the 2018 FT...
China automotive market: Real openness or concealed protectionism?
A look at China's strong will to become the world’s leader in the new energy vehicles (NEV) market through cycles of policies and the implications of it for foreign manufacturers. Big car manufacturers may well have claimed victory when China’s...