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EP6: The Benchmarking Gap: Why Chinese OEMs Are Pulling Ahead
03/16/2026
EP6: The Benchmarking Gap: Why Chinese OEMs Are Pulling Ahead
Every year, A2MAC1 tears down around 70 vehicles, analyzing everything from battery cell chemistry to semiconductor sourcing. For over 25 years, the company has built one of the most comprehensive automotive benchmarking databases in the world. Sascha Voglgsang, Director of Costing and Insights, works at the intersection of teardown analysis, standardized costing, and market intelligence. His work reveals how architecture decisions, supply chain strategy, and integration levels translate into cost advantage or cost burden. In this conversation with host Sasan Hashemi, Sascha Voglgsang explains what Benchmarking at an industrial scale really requires and how AI is beginning to change how cost insights are extracted from massive engineering datasets. In this episode, you will learn: Why scale and standardized methodology determine the value of Benchmarking How integration trends reshape EV cost structures What supply chain localization reveals about long-term competitiveness How AI can support cost engineering without replacing expert judgment Why continuous yearly iteration outpaces long platform cycles The data is available. The real question is whether your organization is able to turn it into a competitive advantage.
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