Performance Communications | May 29, 2026
Sam Mercer noticed a running theme at the FT Future of the Car Summit as the complexity and cost of producing modern cars is pushing more and more companies to work together.
“Protectionism doesn’t work”. That was the clear statement from one panellist at FT Future of the Car last week. And this sentiment truly stuck as the chorus of voices from the summit were loud and clear, it’s not ’them’ versus ‘us’, it’s ‘we’ and how do we forge closer partnerships together.
While the broader geopolitical landscape feels more fragmented than it perhaps ever has, with major powers increasingly operating in competing spheres of influence, with trade, technology, energy, and security becoming tools of confrontation rather than cooperation. Conflicts ripple globally through consumer demand, supply chains and beyond. However, the industry leaders from the greater automotive family – from OEMs all the way through to the supply chain and into regulators – were clear and consistent: that looking at ways to come together and collaborate like never before is the only way to grow.
Integrated partnerships – both horizontal and vertical – are being explored across the industry to ensure CapEX, resource and innovation do not get wasted. Here are just a few examples we noted:
- Thomas Schafer, CEO at Volkswagen Group, talked about the possibility of importing cars from China to Europe. “We’ve never done it before, but when appropriate, we will do it.”
- Michael Lovati, Chief Purchasing Officer at Volvo Group noted that his Commercial Vehicles brand can’t do it all [building every powertrain type to meet consumer demand], but that it is looking to, “partner with others for solutions, and also for efficiency”.
- Talking about the future of SDVs, Fedra Ribeiro, Executive Vice President, Bosch, said: “Partnerships are the solution,” to speeding up their development cycles and bringing new innovation to market sooner.
No longer are competing brands looking at trying to do everything themselves, they simply can’t. They are looking at how it is possible to work together to operate faster and more efficiently. Because that might be the only way to survive.
And the view on Chinese OEMs and suppliers is evolving. A year ago the narrative was “brace”, this has changed to “embrace” – whether it’s technology, footprint or supply chains. Established ways of working will only continue to grow if they embrace new brands and technology partners from new markets and partner for the greater good.
Ultimately, the knowledge transfer 20 years ago was from Europe to China as brands diversified to this region. Now, it’s the other way round, as Chinese companies are sharing innovation and knowledge back.
Partnerships are bi-directional – they should work for everyone – viewed through the lens of “how are we going to maximise this?”, rather than the old school “what’s in it for me?”. It was incredibly gratifying to see firsthand how the industry is coming together to tackle these challenges as a united family.
Credit: Image by rawpixel.com on Magnific
