Ginkgo Search Partners Automotive Practice Group successfully concluded an executive search mandate to recruit a Plant Manager for an international automotive supplier in China. Our retained client is a global player in the automotive and commercial vehicle industry and specialized in developing and manufacturing automotive interior systems and seating components for offroad vehicles, trucks, buses, and trains. Our client served some of the major international premium OEM brands, including Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, and Daimler.

If someone had told me that China would become one of the most powerful automotive forces just a decade ago, I would have laughed it off. Seeing where they are now and how far they’ve gotten, one has to wonder if anyone can stop them. It’s not just Chinese aftermarket suppliers. The Chinese have become so good at making OEM cars that they’re no longer copying the Western car brands just to stay in contention. They’re taking the lead with their own unique original ideas and concepts. Well, unique to a certain extent at least.

On April 25 the 14th Beijing Motor Show opened its doors to the public. The event is held every two years on an annually alternating basis with the Shanghai Motor Show and is one of the largest international automotive shows in the world. 

This year's Beijing Motor Show put a spotlight on sports utility vehicles (SUVs). There is an increase in demand for large cars in China with automakers now talking about increasing space and the number of people that can fit into an SUV. 

The smart car industry has become the new battlefield on which traditional car manufacturers and Internet companies are competing. One of the latest players entering the arena was announced in January last year when LeTV, best known for its streaming video platform held a press conference themed "Redefine the Future" in Beijing to announce the appointment of Lu Zhengyu, a former Managing Director of Asia & Oceania Operations for Infiniti, as Vice President for the newly established Leshi Super Electric Car Company, a subsidiary of the LeTV Group. In summer 2014 LeTV reportedly made a joint investment with the domestic carmaker Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) into the American company Atieva, which is the design and engineering company for Tesla’s Roadster.

Which technologies are affecting future mobility? Will new vehicle concepts stand up to traditional cars? How are automotive value chains shifting?

These three questions are affecting not only the automotive industry but also the new players changing the automotive world. The key to new and successful products on the market is the cooperation between large and medium-sized companies as well as scientific institutions. Hence innovative companies are looking for creative routes to new solutions more and more. 

During the Automotive Interiors Expo in Stuttgart this June the winners of the Automotive Interiors Expo Awards were announced.

Robin Page, Volvo’s vice president of interior design, received the honor of Interior Designer of the Year. Page’s work, which includes a high-tech touchscreen control console, was recognized as helping to build the company’s luxury credentials. Page said “I am humbled by this award. The interior design of the XC90 reflects a paradigm shift for Volvo Cars. At Volvo Cars we focus on creating an overall luxurious living experience. This means using natural materials such as wood, leather, and crystal in a way that delivers calmness and serenity to the driving experience”.

“The trucks of the future will be connected and will become even more efficient than today’s models. Our commercial vehicle industry is working intensively on connected and automated driving. This way we can make marked improvements in fuel efficiency, road safety and also profitability, particularly in road freight traffic,” said Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), at the association’s Commercial Vehicle Symposium 2015 in Berlin.