The shift is no longer theoretical. Stellantis is weighing whether to use EV platforms and software from Leapmotor to underpin models for its European brands Fiat, Opel and Peugeot, and is separately talking with Xiaomi Corp. and Xpeng Inc. about investing in its European operations, Bloomberg has reported. It’s a striking admission that major legacy manufacturers may need Chinese engineering to compete on their own turf.
Some European executives describe this as a “Nokia moment” — a reference to when Apple Inc.’s iPhone crushed the Finnish mobile-phone leader. Europe’s auto champions may be forced to choose between clinging to a dying business model or plugging into Chinese technology to survive.
I’m seeing the same in the “audiophile” world. Chi-fi is a thing that’s an entire paradigm shift bringing game changing products that out perform the biggest name traditional manufacturers. Regular and rapid new products that measure and perform big steps better. Headphones, IEMs, Amps, DACs etc.