How to Maintain Strong OEM-Supplier Alliances | with Augustin Friedel of MHP – A Porsche Company
About this episode
The episode features an interview with Augustin Friedel discussing the importance of OEM-supplier partnerships in the automotive industry's transformation towards software-defined vehicles and AI integration.
In this episode of The Garage podcast, recorded live at CES 2026, host John Heinlein interviews Augustin Friedel, Associated Partner for Software Defined Vehicles at MHP - A Porsche Company. Augustine shares insights from his extensive study 'The Power of Partnerships' and discusses why partnerships have become critical for success in the automotive industry's transformation. The conversation covers Augustin's diverse background from mechanical engineering to startups like Uber Germany, and his current role helping automotive companies navigate connected vehicle solutions and AI integration. They explore different types of partnerships, from enterprise IT to product partnerships, and discuss how companies can measure partnership success through KPIs like speed to market, cost reduction, and customer satisfaction. Augustin emphasizes that no OEM or supplier can handle the complexity of software-defined and AI-defined vehicles alone, making partnerships the key differentiator. The discussion also covers partnership risks, cultural alignment challenges, and how companies can develop better partnership proficiency. Throughout the conversation, they highlight how AI is expanding…
People in this episode
Host: John Heinlein
Guest: Augustin Friedel
Topics covered
- OEM-Supplier Alliances
- Automotive Partnerships
- Software Defined Vehicles
- AI Integration
- Partnership Success Metrics
- Data Management
- Cultural Alignment
Keywords
- OEM
- Supplier
- Partnerships
- Automotive
- AI
- Software Defined Vehicles
- KPI
- Data Management
- Cultural Alignment
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MHP - A Porsche Company, Uber Germany
Books & works: The Power of Partnerships
Places: CES 2026
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