Right on the heels of the news that Tesla may have outsold every German luxury car manufacturer in its class last year, I’m now starting to see the Germans take Tesla a bit more seriously. Success has many fathers as the old saying goes, and the Germans are not about to let you forget that. The article is behind a (free to join and view for 30 days) pay wall, so I don't feel good about copying and pasting it all here. I have excerpted some interesting sections here.
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German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp supplies Tesla with steering columns and control shafts as well as shock absorbers. “When it comes to the body, we are involved in all components that we can deliver,” said a spokesperson at ThyssenKrupp’s car components section. The company’s Facebook page shows chief executive Heinrich Hiesinger at the steering wheel of a Model S. The message is clear: Tesla from the outside, ThyssenKrupp from the inside.
The electronic steering is provided by another German supplier: Bosch Mobility Solutions. Without the component, Tesla’s electronic assistant wouldn’t work. The supplier also developed parking sensors and a radar system for Tesla. Working with the Californians challenged some of the processes at the big German supplier. “This cooperation was a great case for the application of agile methods of development,” said Volkmar Denner, Bosch’s boss. With Tesla, the so-called Scrum method was applied – referring to a set play in rugby in which part of the team huddle to gain control of the ball. In car manufacturing, small teams similarly work with a dedicated, independent focus on any given innovation. Tesla is a great partner in learning how to adapt to the flexible work flow of Silicon Valley, particularly for large and established corporations. Still, with sales as low as 52,000 units, large profits haven’t yet been attained.
Nevertheless, working with Tesla is valuable for high-tech companies such as Munich-based Infineon, a producer of semiconductors. The company supplies Tesla with computer chips. An electrical car contains semiconductors worth €6,000 ($6,500), twice as much as one with a combustion engine.
The German roots of Model S cars run deep. The hydraulic springs in the front and rear compartment doors are delivered by Stabilus in Koblenz; the voice control system is by Peiker in Friedrichsdorf; and the sound system is supplied by Stuttgart-based S1nn, a subsidiary of Kardon.
After the 2013 International Motor Show in Germany, 20 Dräxlmaier engineers visited Tesla’s Silicon Valley headquarters for detailed discussions. The quality of Tesla’s interiors has risen considerably since then, according to Mr. Musk. As a result, Dräxlmaier has been involved in the creation of Tesla’s new Model X from the start. “The sales numbers are still small, but many suppliers hope to profit from Tesla’s good image,” Mr. Bratzel said.
Coroplast, a cable manufacturer in Wuppertal, supplies Tesla with high-voltage cables. “Tesla is extremely fair,” said Natalie Mekelburger, Coroplast’s boss. In front of its headquarters, the mid-sized company displays its own Model S – “powered by Coroplast.”
Tesla’s suppliers have publicized their roles. When the Eisenmann firm from Böblingen announced in April 2015 that it would deliver two automated coating lines to the Tesla factory, manufacturer Dürr reacted immediately and highlighted its own role as producer of the 174 coating robots used within Eisenmann’s system.
