Elon Musk and his colleagues, as well as Lucid, NIO or Xpeng, want to introduce the latest technology and as quickly as possible. They are also ready to offer their customers products that are not yet reliable. This was stated by Holger Klein, CEO of ZF.
“If their latest innovation is not stable and reliable, somehow everything is fine. This is a different approach from what a German premium brand should have, from which other standards are expected. When approaching a startup, customers want a certain type of car and its specific function, and they are willing to accept some disadvantages — Klein thinks.
ZF is the 3rd largest automotive components supplier in the world, with largest largest 2022 The company is best known for its eight-speed automatic transmissions used in traditional vehicles of all major brands, from BMW to Audi, as well as Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Volkswagen, Dodge and Rolls-Royce.
However, the Friedrichshafen-based company designs and manufactures everything from airbags to seat belts, from advanced driver assistance systems to electric powertrains. And it was by analyzing the various relationships that have developed between historical brands and startups that the manufacturer formulated his hypothesis. Young car companies are demanding more technology and faster.
However, Klein also added that, faced with certain urgencies, ZF is unwilling to change its development and quality control processes.< /p>
Of course, the way young companies operate makes them much faster than their competitors. And it makes life difficult for suppliers.
The CEO, however, admits that sometimes the auto industry has been too «closed in its boxes.» The emergence of competitors such as Tesla or others forces to change the way we think about cars.
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