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Nov 10
Middle East conflict and supply chain strains squeeze global automakers' margins
The prolonged Middle East conflict is adding to mounting pressure on the global automotive industry, disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and driving up energy, logistics and raw-material costs. With consumer confidence weakening and vehicle prices already elevated, automakers are finding it increasingly difficult to pass on higher expenses, forcing many to absorb the impact through shrinking profit margins.
CATL is exploring lithium-air batteries as a long-term research direction, attracting attention to the prospect of electric vehicles travelling more than 2,000km (≈ 1,243 miles) on a charge. That range remains a theoretical scenario, with no announced production battery or vehicle test demonstrating it.
BMW has added LG Energy Solution (LGES) and Samsung SDI as suppliers of sixth-generation (Gen6) high-voltage battery cells, expanding regional sourcing in the US and Europe. The companies are expected to supply cells from established plants in their respective regions from the late 2020s, BMW said in a November 9 announcement. The automaker did not disclose volumes or contract values.
Tariff friction among the EU, the UK and China over electric vehicles and local supply-chain policy is intensifying as a critical 2027 deadline approaches, reshaping competition in the European car market. Under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the strictest rules of origin will apply from January 2027 to bilateral trade in battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company will add an extra production shift for its Cybertrucks to meet order backlogs before it stops manufacturing them. The vehicles —iconic to some and infamous to others— are being phased out after years of sales far below expectations as the company pivots toward robotics and AI.
Two leading server component manufacturers remain optimistic about AI demand despite potential short-term volatility following the US midterm elections. Chenbro Micom CEO Corona Chen said the elections would not derail AI's medium- to long-term development, while Advanced Energy Solution (AES) President Wei-Che Sung said customer demand would remain strong in 2027.
Automotive powertrain and safety component maker Global PMX reported 3Q26 consolidated revenue of NT$2.417 billion (US$73.76 million), up 5.87% quarter-on-quarter and 24.59% year-on-year. Stronger operating scale and tight cost controls lifted quarterly operating profit to NT$340 million, while net income attributable to the parent company reached NT$271 million, with earnings per share (EPS) of NT$2.36.
China accounts for approximately 36% of the global smart cockpit market, with an established presence in automotive displays, head-up displays (HUDs), voice interaction and cockpit domain controller integration. Yet its strength in system integration has not translated into control over core technologies, leaving the industry heavily dependent on foreign suppliers, according to Wang Chao, a professor at Beijing University of Technology cited by Chinese media. The coming years could prove decisive for Chinese companies seeking greater technological autonomy.
Infineon Technologies is betting on RISC-V scalability with AURIX RC1, its first RISC-V-based microcontroller (MCU) platform, unveiled this week. A single instruction set lets the platform span everything from very small controllers to real-time vehicle computers and robotic motion controllers, so RC1 can serve automotive, robotics, and industrial customers at the same time.
Excellence Opto (EOI), a major automotive LED light-source supplier, posted record revenue and profit for the first nine months as product-mix optimization, supply-chain efficiencies and high global capacity utilization lifted results. The company is also preparing to begin mass production at its Mexico plant in the fourth quarter and to develop SiPh optical communication module samples by 2027.
Democrats have won control of Congress in the US midterm elections, turning the second half of President Donald Trump's term into a lame-duck period. Trump still holds the veto, however, and overriding it requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Congress is therefore more likely to apply pressure through budgets, investigations, and blocking new legislation than to overturn executive orders outright. For Taiwan's technology sector and supply chain, several fronts are worth watching closely.
Taiwan-based Primax Electronics plans to increase the share of its business-to-business (B2B) operations over the next five years, expanding beyond traditional PC peripherals into artificial intelligence (AI), smart security, automotive and robotics applications. With public safety and surveillance projects already secured through 2029, the company expects these higher-value businesses to underpin sustained double-digit growth.