Bosch vs Volkswagen Group

Bosch Revenue Up, Profitability Down in H1

Bosch, the German technology and automotive supplier, reported a 3.6% increase in revenue to €46.4 billion in the first half of 2026, but its profitability declined. Adjusted EBIT fell to €2.2 billion, with the EBIT margin dropping to 4.6%. The revenue growth was largely driven by acquisitions, including the heating and cooling business from Johnson Controls and Hitachi. Special effects in the mobility business, such as impairments on production assets due to slower-than-expected e-mobility adoption, weighed on results. Net profit after taxes was around €1.1 billion. Despite the challenging environment, Bosch confirmed its full-year 2026 guidance of 2-5% revenue growth and an operating EBIT margin of 4-6%. CFO Markus Forschner emphasized cost reduction and competitiveness. Bosch also noted that it had posted a net loss in 2025, its first since the financial crisis.

• Bosch's H1 2026 revenue rose 3.6% to €46.4 billion.
• Adjusted EBIT fell from €2.3 billion to €2.2 billion in H1 2026.
• EBIT margin declined from 5.1% to 4.6% year-over-year.

Bosch to Manufacture Humanoid Robots in Bühl

Bosch plans to start serial production of humanoid robots at its Bühl (Black Forest) factory from August 2027 through a cooperation with the British startup Humanoid. The new robot generation, named "Gamma," is intended as an industrial platform; Humanoid told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that several hundred units will be built in Bühl and that the automotive supplier Schaeffler will be among the first customers. Bosch said it will take over production in Bühl after successful field tests and is evaluating supplying components such as drives, motors and sensors. The move repurposes a site that has seen recent job cuts; Bühl currently employs about 2,700 workers and Bosch plans to cut roughly 1,100 positions there by 2030.

• Bosch plans serial production of humanoid robots in Bühl beginning in August 2027.
• Bosch is cooperating with British startup Humanoid; the new robot generation is called Gamma.
• Humanoid expects several hundred humanoid robots to be manufactured in Bühl; Schaeffler is cited as an early customer.

Sabine Jünger joins Front Row as Europe Head

Sabine Jünger, currently Vice President at Otto Advertising, will become Managing Director Europe of e‑commerce agency group Front Row, effective 1 January 2027. Jünger has served at Otto since 2021 and previously was Head of Agency at Amazon (2015–2020). At Front Row she will join a four‑person European management team alongside Daniel Andrlik (e‑commerce), Chief Product Officer Benjamin Weyrich and Niall Donohoe (B2B marketing). The company—formed in 2022 from the merger of Hamburg’s Finc3 and US marketplace accelerator Fortress Brand—employs more than 600 people worldwide and counts clients such as Unilever, Bosch, Tesa, Sennheiser and Wella. Founders Jan Bechler, Tim Nedden and Björn Sjut will step back from the management team in spring 2027 but remain founding partners and shareholders. Reported by Horizont on 20 August 2026.

• Sabine Jünger will become Managing Director Europe of Front Row, effective 1 January 2027.
• Jünger has served as Vice President at Otto Advertising since 2021 and was Head of Agency at Amazon (2015–2020).
• She will join a four‑person European management team with Daniel Andrlik (e‑commerce), Benjamin Weyrich (Chief Product Officer) and Niall Donohoe (B2B marketing).

Supervisory Board approves Future Plan 2030: A strong signal for Volkswagen Group

The Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group unanimously approved the Executive Board’s Future Plan 2030, enabling the Group to pave the way for sustainable long-term success.

Xpeng Aims High with Mainz 05 Sponsorship Deal

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng is stepping up its brand campaign in Germany through a two-year sponsorship deal with Bundesliga club Mainz 05. At an event in the Mewa-Arena, Xpeng Central Europe Managing Director Markus Schrick said the partnership is intended to raise brand awareness and position Xpeng as a premium mobility brand associated with high-tech, reliability, and modesty. Xpeng, in which Volkswagen holds just under five percent since July 2023, launched in Germany in 2024 and tripled sales to nearly 3,000 vehicles last year. The company targets 8,000 EV sales in Germany this year and 15,000 next year, and more than 100,000 vehicles across international markets by 2026. The contract with Mainz 05 is initially for two years with an option to extend. Schrick also discussed agency discussions and advertising plans in the video interview.

• Xpeng signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Bundesliga club Mainz 05 as premium and mobility partner.
• Xpeng targets 8,000 EV sales in Germany this year, up from nearly 3,000 last year.
• Xpeng considers 15,000 German sales possible next year and over 100,000 international sales by 2026.

Salesforce: LLMs reshape automotive product search

In an interview, Jessica Geutner (Vice President Strategic Customers, Salesforce) discusses how large language models (LLMs) are changing product search in the automotive sector and shifting responsibilities for OEMs and dealers. She argues that manufacturers must be discoverable within LLM-driven systems and connect those AI-initiated journeys into their CRM, sales and dealer processes. Geutner emphasizes that probabilistic generative AI cannot replace deterministically collected, consented customer data and that consent management and integrated data infrastructures are critical. Salesforce cites work with the Volkswagen Group to centralize customer data as an example of improved service efficiency.

• Jessica Geutner is Vice President Strategic Customers at Salesforce and spoke about AI and the automotive customer journey.
• The article states 77% of commerce leaders expect LLMs will help with product search in the future.
• Salesforce helped the Volkswagen Group centralize customer data, improving service efficiency according to Stefanie Paetow.