The Smart brand is about to undergo a fundamental change. Together with Geely, Mercedes is turning everything upside down: production, technology, sales and the car itself. In the end, the Smart #1 will be sold in both Europe and China.
By Christian Domke Seidel
Semiconductors are among the core commodities in global value chains. Without these small microchips, neither cars nor game consoles or smartphones could be manufactured nowadays. The major industrialized nations are therefore vying for dominance in semiconductor production. But there is little transparency when it comes to government subsidies, especially in China.
By Redaktion Table
China's Internet regulator has passed a new law that will regulate algorithm-based recommendations on the Internet. The law affects a wide range of tech companies – from trading platforms to delivery services and social media groups. It opens the doors for government intervention and control of algorithms.
By Frank Sieren
Kuka is a prime example of the fear of German technology being sold off to China. In 2016, the Augsburg-based robot manufacturer was acquired by Chinese household appliance manufacturer Midea. At the annual general meeting this Tuesday, the company is to be finally sinicized. The Chinese bosses also intend to buy out the last remaining small German shareholders and then take Kuka off the stock market. They hope this will inject more peace into the company's management. So far, the company's performance has fallen short of expectations.
By Frank Sieren