After 4 straight jam packed days, we had a very light day planned for today which included lunch at the canteen and a guest talk from an employee at Bloomberg talking more about European automakers in 2026. We didn’t need to be at the University until 1:30, so I took that time to catch up on some much needed rest, not waking up until 11:30. Me and Sam grabbed some lunch at Idle, and then made our way over to the University.
We got settled in and then began to hear from Will who works at Bloomberg talk about the pressures facing the German market especially for brands like Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes, who they mainly focus on. The biggest challenge for German automakers at the moment is competition from Chinese EV companies and the rapid traction they are starting to gain in the market. Chinese EV companies such as BYD often produce EVs at lower prices, with stronger battery technology, and faster production cycles. He talked about how important it is going to be to invest in upcoming battery and AI software if German brands want to keep up with the market. While German brands built their reputations on engineering and combustion engine technology, they are now going to have to adapt to a market increasingly driven by technology, sustainability, and global competition.
After a great talk with Will, we branched out in our groups and started planning out our presentations. Unlike a couple of the other groups, our company tour already happened, so we had essentially all our information to start making our slides. We used this time to sort out who was going to do what section of the presentation, and I got assigned to the last 3 parts of the Pestle analysis, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. We finished the day in a great spot for our presentation that is only a week away!