Automotive suppliers and vehicle manufacturers have honed their skills to assemble the parts, subsystems, and subassemblies from individual components into the vehicles that we know so well.

What they don't know is how many parts their competitors use - how they assemble and join them, how much those parts weigh, and critically, how much they cost.

That's where vehicle benchmarking companies come in. They literally take vehicles apart, down to the level of fasteners and fixings - and then they weigh, measure, photograph, scan, and analyse every single part. The resultant cost models provide their customers with invaluable competitor intelligence.

In this episode of Beyond the Car, Patrick Katenkamp, CEO of automotive teardown and benchmarking company A2MAC1, shares insight into how a teardown company approaches a vehicle - literally. He explains the teardown process, and the analysis - and what they do with the disassembled vehicle once the work is complete.

We talked about:

• how contemporary computing power and AI have evolved the company's work since its inception in 1997;
• the trends shaping the automotive industry, vehicle design, and manufacturing - as seen from the inside out;
• the role of software and electrification; and
• China's influence on the global auto industry.

You can listen to FISITA's 'Beyond the Car' podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information about FISITA, head to FISITA.com - and to learn more about the 'Beyond the Car' podcast, you can contact us at info@fisita.com.

Thank you to Martyn Strong for production.

Episode 3 of FISITA's Beyond the Car podcast features a conversation with Pierre Millette, the Chief Technology Officer of ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

ACEA is headquartered in Brussels, directly opposite the city's famous Berlaymont building, the home of the European Commission (EC), the executive branch of the European Union (EU).

We talked about the role of ACEA, and how it represents its members in discussions with European regulators, and on the world stage. We looked at the challenges currently facing automakers in general, and the European industry in particular. As the title suggests, we discussed at length the potential for a new small vehicle category and how that would be achieved in Europe as well as in other markets. And we chatted about challenges in the European and global automotive supply chains, the semiconductor crisis, and the evolution of the European automotive industry.

ACEA represents 16 car, truck, van and bus companies with manufacturing operations in Europe: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.

You can learn more about the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association at www.acea.auto.

About the guest

Pierre-Olivier Millette is the Chief Technology Officer of ACEA. Connect with Pierre on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pomillette

You can listen to FISITA's 'Beyond the Car' podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information about FISITA, head to FISITA.com - and to learn more about the 'Beyond the Car' podcast, you can contact us at info@fisita.com.

Thank you to Martyn Strong for production.

Parking is, for most drivers, one of the most mundane and frustrating aspects of driving. But it's also one of the most complex challenges in urban mobility - one that reaches deep into issues that include public transportation, urban design, business models, technology, and sustainability.

In this episode, we discuss the business and technology of parking with Lukas Neckermann, Co-Founder of the Urban Places Lab, and Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors, and Jonny Combe, President and CEO of PayByPhone.

We look at the technologies that have been developed to address the challenges of finding parking, paying for parking, and what else you can do with a parked car, as well as alternatives to parking, the future of connected car services, and the evolution of digital payment services.

Episode guests

Jonny Combe, President and CEO of PayByPhone

Learn more at paybyphone.com and connect with Jonny on LinkedIn

Lukas Neckermann, Co-Founder of the Urban Places Lab, and the Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors

Find out more at neckermann.net and connect with Lukas on LinkedIn

Links

Dynamic parking availability information in Paris:

Have We Helped Solved Parking’s Biggest Problem?

The Urban Places Lab White paper mentioned by Lukas (published in German):

"Parkflächen im Umbruch – Lösungen für den Einzelhandel"

Whitepaper Parkflächen - Urban Places Lab

You can listen to FISITA's 'Beyond the Car' podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For more information about FISITA, head to FISITA.com - and to learn more about the 'Beyond the Car' podcast, you can contact us at info@fisita.com.

Thank you to Martyn Strong for production.