Automotive and business brief

Snapshot

• IG Metall: Monday's Düsseldorf round also failed, Baden-Württemberg has paused talks, and the union decides on Wednesday whether to escalate, possibly to 24-hour strikes
• China formally extends its suspension of the October 2025 rare-earth, lithium-battery and graphite controls to 10 January 2027, so there is no cliff on 11 November
• BMW confirms parts shortages from outside suppliers have cancelled shifts at several plants; company sources name Regensburg, Leipzig and Oxford

Top Developments

1. IG Metall: Monday's Düsseldorf round also failed, Baden-Württemberg has paused talks, and the union decides on Wednesday whether to escalate, possibly to 24-hour strikes

   The third NRW round ended after about an hour with no movement. Employers kept their offer: a one-off payment in mid-2027, a 1.3% pay rise only from mid-2028 over 26 months, and a new company-level instrument to deviate from the agreement. IG Metall is asking for 5% over 12 months. The IG Metall board met on Monday evening and decides on Wednesday, after the regional bargaining commissions meet, whether to escalate. The NRW commission will discuss 24-hour strikes.…

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

   Sources: IG Metall NRW (9 Nov, DE) · IG Metall Baden-Württemberg press release (9 Nov, DE) · dpa via n-tv (9 Nov, DE)

2. China formally extends its suspension of the October 2025 rare-earth, lithium-battery and graphite controls to 10 January 2027, so there is no cliff on 11 November

   MOFCOM/Customs Announcement No. 58 of 2026 (dated 9 Nov) keeps Announcements Nos. 55–58 and 61–62 of 2025 suspended from 11 Nov 2026 to 10 Jan 2027. They cover superhard materials, rare-earth equipment and inputs, five medium and heavy rare earths, lithium batteries and graphite anodes, foreign-made items containing Chinese rare earths, and rare-earth technologies.…

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   Sources: MOFCOM Announcement No. 58/2026 (9 Nov, CN) · SMM (9 Nov) · MLex (10 Nov) · China Sourcing Post (analysis)

3. BMW confirms parts shortages from outside suppliers have cancelled shifts at several plants; company sources name Regensburg, Leipzig and Oxford

   A BMW spokesman said shifts 'have been or are currently being cancelled at individual BMW Group plants' because of short-term shortages of parts from external suppliers. BMW is working with suppliers to stabilise supply and restart production. BMW did not say which part or supplier is involved. According to company sources (dpa), the affected plants are Regensburg, Leipzig and Oxford. In 2025 they built about 357,000, 260,000 and 124,000 vehicles. Mini Oxford has been stood down since 6 Nov with no restart date.…

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   Sources: Handelsblatt (10 Nov, DE) · dpa via Yahoo Finance (9 Nov) · Mittelbayerische (DE)

4. Fujikura H1: automotive (harness) sales rise 23% on higher European output but profit stays at about ¥1.8bn (about 1.7% margin); the full-year operating profit forecast is trimmed on FX, and its Tangier car-parts site now also makes data-centre fibre cable

   April–September tanshin, published 10 Nov. Automotive segment: sales ¥106.3bn (+23.3%, 'due to production increases in Europe'), segment profit ¥1.77bn (¥2.25bn a year ago; the company calls it 'flat'). Group: sales ¥867.4bn (+55.2%), operating profit ¥235.0bn (+160.6%), of which ¥217.7bn from telecom and data centres. Full-year forecast: sales up to ¥1.768tn (from ¥1.755tn), operating profit down to ¥429bn (from ¥432bn) because H2 assumes ¥156/$ instead of ¥160/$, net profit unchanged at ¥326bn.…

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   Sources: Fujikura tanshin (10 Nov, JP, PDF) · Fujikura forecast revision (10 Nov, JP, PDF) · Fujikura press release: Tangier (9 Nov)

5. Infineon guides fiscal 2027 revenue to about €20bn (+20%), with automotive up by a mid-teens percentage and investment of €3.0–3.5bn, but cash-flow guidance falls well short of expectations

   FY2026 (to September): revenue €16.35bn (+12%), segment result margin 19.7%; Q4 revenue €4.71bn, margin 23.8%. FY2027: revenue about €20bn, with data-centre power supplies close to €4bn. Automotive (ATV) revenue is expected to grow by a mid-teens percentage and stay stable in Q1. Group segment result margin is guided to the mid-20s. Investment of €3.0–3.5bn goes to Dresden's fourth fab building, silicon-carbide capacity in Kulim and 300mm gallium nitride in Villach.…

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   Sources: Infineon release via EQS (10 Nov) · Investing.com / Reuters (10 Nov)

6. EU 2035 car CO₂: ambassadors meet on Wednesday on an Irish presidency compromise of 90% with offsets, which sits between the Commission and the Franco-German plan; hybrid rules and the 'Made in Europe' scope are also on the table

   According to Bloomberg (via Just Auto), several member states oppose the Franco-German position, which would in effect drop the 2035 combustion-engine phase-out with no offsets. The Irish draft sets a 90% cut by 2035, with the remaining 10% offset through fuels and credits for low-carbon steel and aluminium, plus flexibilities for the 2030 car and 2025 van targets.…

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   Sources: Just Auto, citing Bloomberg (9 Nov) · Agence Europe (9 Nov)

7. BYD Szeged: permit documents show full commissioning could run to February 2028 and list capacity of 300,000 cars a year, 280,000 of them battery EVs

   According to documents reported by Délmagyar, BYD asked on 16 Sep to change its trial-operation deadlines. A 9 Oct decision split commissioning into five phases. EV assembly and the test track start trials on 30 Oct and 30 Dec. Welding, press and paint shops follow from late November and January 2027. FinDreams component halls, battery storage and plug-in hybrid assembly come in 2027, and full trial operation must finish by 28 Feb 2028 at the latest.…

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   Sources: Délmagyar (HU) · Világgazdaság (9 Nov, HU)

8. BMW adds Samsung SDI (Europe) and LG Energy Solution (US) as Gen6 battery-cell suppliers from the late 2020s; European cells will come from CATL, EVE and Samsung SDI

   BMW calls it 'local for local' sourcing for its sixth-generation high-voltage batteries. The packs are assembled at five new plants next to vehicle plants: Irlbach-Straßkirchen, Debrecen, Shenyang, Woodruff (US) and San Luis Potosí. Samsung SDI will supply from its European plants (TheElec points to Hungary) and LGES from the US. Purchasing board member Nicolai Martin describes diversification as 'integral' to BMW's purchasing strategy.

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   Sources: BMW Group press release (9 Nov) · TheElec (KR)

9. Honda plans a $3bn hybrid-focused plant in Ohio (240,000 cars a year from 2029) and raises its full-year profit forecast by 20%, despite a 39% fall in Q2 operating profit

   The new plant sits between East Liberty and Marysville and can build hybrid, petrol and battery-electric vehicles. It brings more than 2,000 jobs and lifts Honda's US capacity to about 1.3m (North America about 1.9m). Ohio hybrid-system capacity rises 250%. Alabama adds a V6 hybrid engine, and Alliston (Canada) brings back engine production. Results (10 Nov): July–September operating profit fell 39% to ¥118bn, against a ¥250bn consensus.…

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   Sources: Honda press release (9/10 Nov) · Ohio Governor's office · Reuters via MarketScreener: Q2 (10 Nov) · Reuters via MarketScreener: guidance (10 Nov)

10. Nexperia split hardens: administrators propose a 'Two Circles' structure, with Wingtech keeping China and an outside investor controlling the rest of the world; Wingtech rejects it and disputes the $2bn claim

    Under the plan from Nexperia's court-appointed administrators, Wingtech would keep control of the China business, while an outside investor would take a controlling stake in the overseas business, leaving Wingtech a minority. Wingtech rejected it on 3 Nov as 'expropriation' but says it is open to talks. China Daily (10 Nov) reports that Wingtech also rejects the $2bn damages claim, saying it has not been formally served.…

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

    Sources: South China Morning Post (4 Nov) · China Daily (10 Nov) · Nexperia statement (5 Nov)

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