Automotive and business brief

Snapshot

• BMW shortages: Reuters now has a BMW spokesperson naming Leipzig, Regensburg and Oxford on the record, and Handelsblatt reports, citing industry sources, that the missing parts are wire harnesses from Ukraine. BMW will not confirm the part.
• IG Metall pushes its escalation decision to Thursday: regional bargaining commissions meet today, and the national board decides on 12 Nov on full-day strikes at selected companies
• Chip CEOs at electronica: Nexperia is 'totally oversubscribed' and ST sees 'many bottlenecks' as foundries and packaging houses move capacity from mature automotive chips to AI

Top Developments

1. BMW shortages: Reuters now has a BMW spokesperson naming Leipzig, Regensburg and Oxford on the record, and Handelsblatt reports, citing industry sources, that the missing parts are wire harnesses from Ukraine. BMW will not confirm the part.

   On 10 Nov a BMW spokesperson told Reuters the group has 'challenges' at Leipzig, Regensburg and Oxford, with shift patterns adjusted. BMW declined to say which parts are short or how much production is lost. Yesterday the plant names came only from company sources via dpa. Handelsblatt (10 Nov, 14:21) reports, citing industry sources, that the shortage involves wire harnesses from Ukraine. BMW said only that it is in close contact with suppliers and has taken measures to stabilise supply.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Reuters via Euronext (10 Nov) · Handelsblatt (10 Nov, DE) · heise autos (10 Nov) · Ukrainska Pravda: K&S Lutsk halt (17 Oct) · Ukrinform: K&S Zhytomyr (21 Oct)

2. IG Metall pushes its escalation decision to Thursday: regional bargaining commissions meet today, and the national board decides on 12 Nov on full-day strikes at selected companies

   Day-long strikes need a board resolution under IG Metall's statutes, because strikers then receive strike pay from the union's fund. The regional commissions meet on Wednesday to decide whether to apply for that step, and the board meets on Thursday. Earlier the union had said a decision could come as soon as Wednesday (dpa, 10 Nov). IG Metall says about 500,000 workers have joined short warning strikes since the peace obligation ended.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: dpa via Badische Zeitung (10 Nov, DE) · junge Welt (11 Nov, DE) · WAZ (10 Nov, DE)

3. Chip CEOs at electronica: Nexperia is 'totally oversubscribed' and ST sees 'many bottlenecks' as foundries and packaging houses move capacity from mature automotive chips to AI

   Nexperia's interim CEO Stefan Tilger told Reuters on 10 Nov that some competitors have moved capacity away from commodity semiconductors (diodes, transistors, power management), creating bottlenecks in parts of the automotive supply chain: 'the automotive industry is suffering at the moment quite heavily'. ST's CEO Jean-Marc Chery said at the 9 Nov CEO panel with Infineon and NXP that foundries and assembly/packaging firms are 'disengaging … from mainstream technology'.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Reuters via CNA (10 Nov) · Reuters via The Star (10 Nov)

4. Nissan H1: operating profit ¥80bn on ¥110bn of extra Re:Nissan savings, but Q2 is almost zero (¥2.1bn); full-year ¥200bn kept, while global sales outlook is cut to 2.97–3.0m on China

   April–September: revenue ¥6.072tn (+8.8%), operating profit ¥80.0bn (a loss of ¥27.7bn a year ago), net loss ¥39.7bn (a loss of ¥221.9bn a year ago). Q2 (Jul–Sep): revenue ¥3.108tn (+8.2%), operating profit ¥2.1bn, mainly because last year's lower US emissions-related expenses did not repeat. Full year: operating profit outlook unchanged at ¥200bn (¥120bn in H2), automotive net cash above ¥1tn.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Nissan release (11 Nov) · Nikkei Asia (11 Nov) · Kabutan (11 Nov)

5. BMW and Lumissil show 'No New Wire' battery communication on BMW's Gen6 800 V pack: BMS data is sent over the existing high-voltage conductors instead of dedicated signal wiring

   Power-line communication was demonstrated across a complete Gen6 800 V battery (as launched in the new iX3 in 2026). It ran bidirectionally and across several nodes between the central BMS controller and the cell supervisory circuits, under varying voltage and current conditions. Lumissil says the approach removes dedicated communication wiring and connectors and cuts weight and cost. BMW's HV-storage E/E expert called it an important step toward simpler, scalable BMS architectures.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Lumissil/BMW release, GlobeNewswire (10 Nov)

6. Morocco's industry minister warns the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act is a threat to Moroccan car-making: projects meant for Morocco have already moved to Europe, and Morocco risks being left building combustion cars

   In parliament on 10 Nov, Industry Minister Ryad Mezzour said the draft IAA includes a target of 80% of car production in Europe. Discussion of it began about 18 months ago, he said, at the same time as several investments and projects expected in Morocco were redirected to Europe. Morocco's advantage rests mainly on lower costs and wages. As Europe goes electric, manufacturers could keep making diesel and other combustion cars in Morocco for longer and export them elsewhere.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Hespress EN (10 Nov) · L'Opinion (10 Nov, FR) · Bloomberg Government (10 Nov)

7. Mercedes stops custom orders for the EQE, EQE SUV and EQS SUV in Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands, so only the EQS sedan remains on the EVA2 platform

   electrive found on 10 Nov that the three models can no longer be configured in the online configurators, and only stock vehicles can be bought. Mercedes had not officially confirmed the end of production. The EQS sedan was updated in April 2026 to 800 V. The electric C-Class and GLC (MB.EA-M, 800 V) and an electric E-Class from H2 2027 replace the old EQ line. The EQC, EQB and EQA have already ended.

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: electrive (10 Nov)

8. VW signals it 'will probably assign' a second electric platform to Seat's Martorell plant, possibly SSP for the next Cupra Leon and Formentor, but only if Spain accepts a wage freeze to 2030

   An internal VW document on collective-bargaining strategy, reported by La Tribuna de Automoción and electrive, says VW will 'probably assign a platform and products' to Martorell. It is linked to the Group Target Picture 2030 efficiency programme, under which ten international sites must cut costs significantly by 2027. VW is asking for a wage freeze to 2030, less overtime, more flexible working time and cuts in indirect and contractor jobs. Sites must submit savings proposals by the end of November.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: electrive (10 Nov)

9. BYD is reported to be in talks with Portugal over a battery plant at the former Galp refinery in Matosinhos (Porto); the economy minister confirms a 'fruitful dialogue' with a Chinese carmaker

   Expresso reports BYD is talking to the government and the investment agency AICEP, with a source calling the project relatively advanced. Minister Manuel Castro Almeida confirmed only a dialogue with an unnamed Chinese automaker. It is not known whether cells, modules or packs would be made there. The plant could serve the Iberian Peninsula, including a possible BYD car plant in Spain. CALB is already planning a €2bn, 15 GWh cell plant in Sines.

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: electrive (10 Nov)

10. Canada says Stellantis's sale of the Brampton plant breaks its agreements and promises to 'fully enforce' its rights; Stellantis offers to repay the retooling support

    PM Mark Carney (10 Nov) called the closure and the sale to armoured-vehicle maker Roshel 'unacceptable' and 'a betrayal'. He said it violates several agreements, including a 2022 contract that bars closing Brampton before 2035 unless it becomes commercially unviable for reasons beyond Stellantis's control. Ottawa paid about C$222m to Stellantis Canada in 2023–25 (CBC). Stellantis says it has offered to voluntarily return the support received for the original Brampton retooling plan.…

    AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

    Sources: CBC News (10 Nov) · Globe and Mail (10 Nov)

11. Mercedes signs a long-term low-carbon aluminium deal with Hydro, joins the First Movers Coalition and targets 40% secondary raw materials within ten years

    The Hydro offtake covers at least 10% of Mercedes' primary aluminium from 2026 to beyond 2030, with the footprint falling from about 4.0 to 3.5 kg CO₂e/kg by 2028 and 3.0 from 2030. Hydro CIRCAL (at least 75% post-consumer recycled, at most 2.0 kg) is used from 2027. 2039 targets: −90% production CO₂, −80% use-phase CO₂ (as market conditions allow), −70% across the value chain versus 2019, and net zero in the following decade.…

    AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

    Sources: Mercedes-Benz release (10 Nov) · Hydro release (10 Nov)

Watch Next

No dated follow-ups listed.

Earnings Calendar — Next 7–10 days

No dated events listed for this period.

Market data: TradingView, Yahoo Finance (delayed). Not investment advice.