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Huawei and the Risk of European Carmakers’ Tech Dependence
Huawei’s history offers a reminder for European carmakers: access to critical technology can come with dependence on whoever controls it
Philipp Raasch provides some historical context on Huawei, which reportedly is in talks to partner with Maserati as a platform provider for upcoming models, and highlights the risk to European automakers of increased supplier dependence:
Huawei depended on technology from the US. And that dependence is exactly what nearly ruined it.
The shock forced Huawei to develop everything important itself.
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In other words, European carmakers are making themselves more and more dependent on technology from China.
And that's where I see the parallel to Huawei. Because its story shows how dangerous that kind of dependence can be.
If the Maserati deal works out, it definitely won't stop at Maserati. Then Europe ends up where SAIC's chairman refused to go in 2021: the soul comes from China. And all Europe gets to build is the body.
Huawei’s crisis was triggered by geopolitics, but the underlying vulnerability is the same: dependence on critical technology controlled by someone else.