John Krafcik

General Motors hires new head of strategy from Lucid Motors:  GM said on Monday that Claudia Gast will be the automaker's deputy chief financial officer and vice president of strategy, corporate development and technology partnerships. In the role, Gast will help shape GM’s long-term strategic direction while identifying and developing partnerships across technology, mobility and innovation-focused sectors. #electricmotors #electricandhybridvehicles https://lnkd.in/gGaF3KA4

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How much will U.S. tariffs cost Japanese automakers? Automotive News' Hans Greimel puts the total at more than $18 billion in a story today. https://lnkd.in/gyY7mup6

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Great discussion with Laurence Iliff from Automotive News last week. We covered several themes that continue to define where the global auto industry is heading—and why China remains the reference point, not just a competitor. Key takeaways from our conversation: 🔹 China is no longer “catching up.” It is setting the pace on EVs, software-defined vehicles, supply-chain integration, and speed-to-market. The competitive gap is now structural, not cyclical. 🔹 The real disruption is organizational, not technological. China’s advantage comes from ecosystem orchestration—what I often describe as Tier-0.5 logic—where hardware, software, and manufacturing are co-developed rather than sequentially integrated. 🔹 EVs are just the entry ticket. The battleground has shifted to software architectures, AI-enabled features, cost discipline, and the ability to scale platforms globally. 🔹 Western OEMs face a strategic choice. Compete on legacy processes and incrementalism—or rethink operating models, partnerships, and decision velocity to match a very different system logic. 🔹 Globalization isn’t ending—it’s being re-written. The next phase will be defined by selective localization, ecosystem partnerships, and cross-border technology flows—not simple export models. More to come. #Automotive #ChinaAuto #EVs #MobilityTransformation #Automobility #Tier05 #SoftwareDefinedVehicles #GlobalCompetition #AutomotiveNews

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Vertical Restraints Taking a cue from Tesla, Scout (from Volkswagen) plans to sell its trucks and SUVs directly to customers, bypassing dealers entirely in United States. While other electric newcomers such as Rivian Automotive and Lucid Motors have taken the same approach, Volkswagen dealers feel that because Scout is a Volkswagen Group company, it must sell cars through independent, franchised dealerships. Dealers feel: Volkswagen built their success on the backs of the dealer network, and now they’re putting knives in the backs of the same dealers that helped them grow in this country since the 1950s. Volkswagen thinks: selling directly gives the company more insights in the artificial-intelligence age, while creating a better experience for its customers. It wishes to be dramatically more efficient with every single car that it makes. What's your take? https://lnkd.in/dSgraUr6 #auto #antitrust #dealerships #competitionpolicy #competition #competitionlaw

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Who has the right to sell you a new car in America? Car dealers have been a legally entrenched part of the buying process for decades. And they see the rise of Tesla and Rivian's direct-to-consumer model as a threat to their business. But with Scout Motors Inc., the call is coming from inside the house: the Volkswagen Group-owned company wants to go direct, and dealers this week filed a class-action lawsuit to stop it. Chris Otts breaks down the looming legal fight between VW, its new EV brand, and its own dealers: “Volkswagen built their success on the backs of the dealer network, and now they’re putting knives in the backs of the same dealers that helped them grow in this country since the 1950s,” one dealer said. New at the WSJ: https://lnkd.in/eYEiUw_2

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Shares of Lucid fell in after-hours trading after the EV company reported earnings for its fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2025. Adjusted earnings per share came in at -$3.08, which missed analysts' consensus estimate of -$2.67 per share. However, sales increased by 123% year-over-year, with revenue hitting $522.73 million, beating analysts' expectations of $459.53 million. This revenue growth comes after Lucid delivered 5,345 vehicles in Q4 and 15,841 vehicles in 2025, a 72% year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter and a 55% growth for the full year. Looking ahead, Lucid expects to produce 25,000 to 27,000 vehicles in 2026. Read about it more on TipRanks https://lnkd.in/gxtm33cu

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