Welcome to the Dec. 2 edition of the Daily 5.
The end of the year often brings news of changes at the top of automakers and the doors in the C-Suite are already swinging. Carlos Tavares, the cost-cutting expert and architect behind the merger of PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler, has stepped down — immediately, and a year earlier than planned — as CEO of Stellantis.
In the U.S., Stellantis has been under fire for months from Chrysler, Jeep and Ram dealers pressing for more incentive and marketing support to help reduce bloated inventories. Luca Ciferri of Automotive News Europe makes the case that his successor should be more of a peacekeeper to repair relationships with dealers, suppliers and other stakeholders. In the meantime, a committee has been named to steer the company.
Meanwhile, Automotive News and Ad Age, a sibling publication, have teamed up to create new awards for automotive marketing. The inaugural winners of the Global Automotive Marketing Awards — selected for connecting, engaging and inspiring consumers — include Ram, Mazda, Chevrolet, General Motors and Porsche.
Things are heating up in Europe as workers at nine Volkswagen Group car and component plants across Germany walked out on strike for several hours on Dec. 2, halting assembly lines as labor and management clash over the future of the company's German operations.
VW wants a 10 percent wage cut from workers as part of major cost reductions to boost profits and defend market share in the face of competition from China and a drop in European light-vehicle demand.
Looking ahead, researchers are exploring ways to replace silicon and carbon silicon chips in vehicle electronics to improve the efficiency of high-voltage systems.
In testing at Diamfab, a French startup in Grenoble, the chips have shown promise that might make them ideal for EV powertrains and other electricity-guzzling components on vehicles with self-driving features.
Synthetic diamond chips, produced in a lab, can handle higher voltages at higher temperatures than current chips, potentially helping to cut vehicle weight and lower CO2 produced during manufacturing, one of Diamfab's founders tells Automotive News.
And lastly, Jaguar has spent weeks preparing to show a concept that previews a completely new styling direction as part of a major push upmarket for the famed British brand. But as sometimes happens, images of the unnamed vehicle leaked on the web ahead of tonight's unveiling.
That's our Daily 5 report for Monday.
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— David Phillips, News Editor
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