EDITORIAL: China vs. the world: lessons from Germany and beyond

As mentioned in last issue's editorial, this year's IAA Mobility show was one for the books - or, more appropriately here, one for the magazine. You can find our coverage of the show starting on page 14. Up front, though, I wanted to take some space to discuss a topic that wasn't exactly news but more of a vibe: the undeniable impact that the Chinese automotive industry is having on competitors in Europe and North America. It was a topic that came up unbidden from a fair number of people I spoke with at IAA (and at events and online since).

If you're a regular reader, you've heard this message before. Last year, for example, the CEO of Voltaiq, Tal Sholklapper, told SAE Media that North American OEMs had five years to catch China. This year, we asked him if that clock had now run down to four years. See his answer on the Q&A on page 35 and as part of Episode 2 of the new SAE Automotive Engineering podcast (get it wherever you grab your pods). The ever-growing reality of Chinese competition is also the subject of Michael Robinet's excellent Supplier Eye column on page 3.