Automotive and business brief

Snapshot

• IG Metall warning strikes widen across Germany on Monday, reaching harness maker Leoni Kabel in Roth, Schaeffler, Vitesco, ZF Wabco and Opel Kaiserslautern; the first third-round date is set for 6 Nov
• Forvia Q3: sales €5.08bn (organic −0.6%) but Electronics +7% and Europe +4.1% organically; Interiors sale to Apollo cleared for Q4 closing and 2026 guidance confirmed
• Autoneum agrees to buy French acoustics supplier Trèves (€720m sales, 26 plants) for up to €64m, about 3.1x EBITDA after synergies, with plant consolidation in Europe planned

Top Developments

1. IG Metall warning strikes widen across Germany on Monday, reaching harness maker Leoni Kabel in Roth, Schaeffler, Vitesco, ZF Wabco and Opel Kaiserslautern; the first third-round date is set for 6 Nov

   After the first walkouts on Sunday, IG Metall has called warning strikes for Monday 2 Nov in Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Bavaria, where 34 plants are affected, including auto plants. In Middle Franconia the list includes harness and cable maker Leoni Kabel in Roth (rally 08:30) and Schaeffler in Herzogenaurach.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: tagesschau (2 Nov, DE) · dpa-AFX via t-online (2 Nov, DE) · Nürnberger Nachrichten, Bavarian list (2 Nov, DE) · SWR, Baden-Württemberg (DE) · IG Metall bargaining dates

2. Forvia Q3: sales €5.08bn (organic −0.6%) but Electronics +7% and Europe +4.1% organically; Interiors sale to Apollo cleared for Q4 closing and 2026 guidance confirmed

   Forvia reported on 2 Nov Q3 sales of €5,079m, up 1.0% reported and down 0.6% organically, outperforming global production (−1.6% to 22.7m units, S&P Global Mobility) by 100bp. Europe grew 4.1% organically to €2,290m, North America 0.4% and the rest of Asia 13.6%, while China fell 17.2% to €945m. By business, Electronics rose 7.0% (radar and energy management, particularly in Europe), Clarion 22.0%, Seating fell 4.4% (half the H1 decline) and Lighting fell 7.8%.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Forvia press release (2 Nov) · GlobeNewswire, full release with regional table (2 Nov)

3. Autoneum agrees to buy French acoustics supplier Trèves (€720m sales, 26 plants) for up to €64m, about 3.1x EBITDA after synergies, with plant consolidation in Europe planned

   Autoneum announced on 2 Nov that it will acquire the family-owned Trèves Group, a supplier of acoustic and thermal insulation, interior trim and trunk parts with about 4,600 employees, around €720m of 2025 revenue and 26 plants in 15 countries. The upfront price is about €40m, mostly in new Autoneum shares with about €7.5m in cash, plus an earn-out of up to €24m tied to EBITDA and synergies by 2029; a new CHF 200m term loan will refinance Trèves’ bank debt and working capital.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Autoneum release via MarketScreener (2 Nov) · Autoneum release, German version via MarketScreener (2 Nov)

4. Kia considers building all its European EVs in Žilina (Slovakia) and keeping combustion models in Korea to raise local content ahead of the EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ rules

   On its Q3 call on 30 Oct, Kia’s finance head Kim Seung-jun said the company is reviewing ways to raise its localisation rate in Europe and is considering producing all of its European EV volume in Slovakia while exporting combustion-engine models from Korea; the move will go ahead once confirmed. Kia said Europe’s combustion market shrank 20% in Q3 while EVs grew more than 50%, and it plans to cut the cost of batteries, motors and heat pumps by 10% a year for three years.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Seoul Economic Daily (30 Oct) · The Asia Business Daily (30 Oct) · Newspim, call notes (30 Oct, KR)

5. VW signs a letter of intent with Doğuş to explore car production in Türkiye; VW confirms it is examining partly assembled kits from non-European plants, reportedly China-developed FAW models

   Doğuş Otomotiv, VW’s Turkish importer, said on 30 Oct that it had signed a letter of intent with Volkswagen group companies to explore producing VW passenger cars in Türkiye; its shares rose 10%. VW confirmed to Automobil-Produktion that it is examining, with Doğuş, ‘the export of partly assembled vehicles from non-European production sites to Türkiye for the Turkish market’.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Reuters via Euronext (30 Oct) · auto motor und sport (31 Oct, DE)

6. France October: car registrations up 7% to 149,341 with battery EVs at 41% of the market (24% a year ago); VW group down 15%, Dacia down 24%, light vans down 13%

   PFA data published on 1 Nov show 149,341 new cars registered in October (+7.0%, with one working day fewer) and 1.384m in January–October (+4.4%). Electric cars reached 41% of registrations and 49% including plug-in hybrids, against 24% for EVs a year earlier. Stellantis rose 2.8% to 36,901 (24.7% share; Citroën +11%, Fiat +29%, Peugeot −2%), Renault Group fell 4.1% (Renault brand +4%, Dacia −24%), VW Group fell 14.9% (VW −13%, Audi −30%, Cupra −20%, Škoda +4%) and BMW Group rose 16%.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: PFA Flash Marché (1 Nov, PDF, FR) · franceinfo (1 Nov, FR)

7. BMW’s new purchasing terms take effect on 1 Dec: price and warranty terms barely change, but suppliers face wider cybersecurity, sanctions/export-control, sub-tier notification and audit duties

   According to an analysis by law firm Foley & Lardner (26 Oct), BMW’s updated Terms and Conditions for the Purchase of Production Materials (IPC) apply from 1 Dec 2026. Price, warranty duration and late-delivery damages are largely unchanged.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Foley & Lardner (26 Oct) · National Law Review summary

8. South Korea’s October car exports hit an October record of $6.55bn (+18%), helped by hybrids and extra working days; car exports to the EU up 47% in 1–25 October

   The Korean trade ministry reported on 1 Nov that car exports rose 18.1% to $6.55bn, a record for October, helped by the Chuseok holiday moving into September and strong hybrid exports; auto-parts exports rose 15% to about $1.7bn. Exports to the EU grew 56% overall, and car exports to the EU rose 47% in 1–25 October. Car exports to the US rose 40% in the same period.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: Korean trade ministry release (1 Nov, KR) · The Asia Business Daily (1 Nov)

9. Li Auto hit by a sudden shortage of a custom Samsung 29-inch OLED screen: Mega MPVs built 10 Nov–17 Dec ship with LCDs, and owners get free replacements from March 2027

   Li Auto’s product-line head Tang Jing said on Weibo on 2 Nov that the company had received unexpected notice from its partner of a temporary disruption in supply of the custom 29-inch 6K OLED screen Samsung makes for the new Li Mega; supply is not expected to recover until around year-end, and no other supplier offers the same specification.…

   AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

   Sources: CnEVPost (2 Nov)

10. Rare-earth and battery-material controls: China’s suspension still ends on 10 Nov in law, despite the political deal to extend the US–China truce to 10 Jan; no legal notice yet

    E+E Leader reported on 30 Oct that, as of 29 Oct, neither government had published the legal changes needed to extend their export-control suspensions past 9 Nov (US Affiliates Rule) and 10 Nov (China), although both sides agreed in late September to extend the truce to 10 Jan 2027.…

    AI-generated summary · not individually reviewed · check the linked sources

    Sources: E+E Leader (30 Oct) · Fastmarkets (10 Sep, background)

Watch Next

No dated follow-ups listed.

Earnings Calendar — Next 7–10 days

Market data: TradingView, Yahoo Finance (delayed). Not investment advice.