Who will recognize us in the future?

You don’t get to be the world’s biggest auto parts supplier by sitting around and resisting change.

Witness Robert Bosch. The 135-year-old German goliath (2020 sales to automakers of $46.5 billion) is running full speed to overhaul its products and retrain its people around the world to embrace the new reality that’s blowing up the car business: artificial intelligence, vehicle connectivity and oceans of usable data.

Automotive News Reporter John Irwin gives us a portrait this week of where Bosch is and where it wants to go in the future. Bosch wants to have every product it makes by 2025 either contain A.I., or to have been developed or assembled using A.I. In years past, Bosch’s North American chief Mike Mansuetti told him, Bosch used to make a part and send it off to the customer and hope to never have to worry about it again.

But now, “We want to worry about it,” Mansuetti told us. “We want all the data.”

You’ll notice the topic of fundamental change carrying through some of the other stories in this week’s issue. On Page 3, you’ll read about Lexus standing on the threshold of a plan to sell 1 million EVs a year globally by 2030, up from a negligible volume last year. And there’s a story on Page 4 about vehicle electronics supplier Aptiv taking yet another step to make itself over into an industry leader in software products.

It’s all changing, all around us.

While John was putting the final touches on his Bosch snapshot, I started reading about the company founder, Robert Bosch. I came across a photo of him from 1890, a peaceful looking young man with a bushy beard, age 28 or 29, holding a bicycle that he had just patented.

It’s hard to imagine that he would recognize the present-day auto industry. But how many of us working today will be able to recognize it in just another 25 years?

— LIndsay Chappell   

In Monday’s Automotive News:

So close: Lexus’ worldwide sales climbed 6 percent in 2021, falling just shy of an all-time high, even with the global semiconductor shortage crimping inventories. Toyota Motor Corp.’s premium brand said overall volume increased to 760,012 vehicles last year. In the U.S., Lexus finished third in the luxury sales race, behind No. 1 BMW and runner-up Tesla, while China was Lexus’ second-biggest market.

Bigger Jeeps coming: Jeep is preparing longer variants of its premium Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer to take on rivals such as the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade ESV and Lincoln Navigator L. The shorter versions of the Jeep SUVs have only been out four months, but the brand is planning to launch the extended models this year. We see what dealers and industry analysts have to say about the move. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are pricey low-volume models, but is there a chance that bigger variants could further limit the reach of the current versions before they get established in the market?

Weekend headlines

Ford idles, cuts output at 8 plants: Ford warned the ongoing car chip shortage would lead to a decline in first-quarter vehicle production.

Bill Ford Jr. sees Michigan need for more software developers: Google has become one of the ‘founding members’ of Ford’s $950 million investment in building out a mobility-focused tech hub in Detroit.

Stellantis changes terms: The automaker has imposed controversial changes to its purchase order terms and conditions for 2022 that can force North American suppliers to reduce prices whenever they achieve any cost savings and to remain locked in unfavorable contracts for as long as Stellantis wants. A former Stellantis insider said the moves are driven by “unrealistic savings goals” sought by the automaker.

U.S. sales slide: U.S. new-vehicle sales slid 9 percent to just over 1 million in January, LMC Automotive said, as the microchip shortage and other supply chain disruptions continued to upend industry stockpiles. Ford ended the month flat, while Hyundai rebounded, and Honda, Subaru, Toyota and Kia slipped again.

Feb. 4, 1922: Ford Motor Co. acquired Lincoln Motor Co. in bankruptcy court for $8 million. Company President Edsel Ford saw in Lincoln the potential to bring elegance and luxury to the Ford lineup, so he and his mother, Clara, persuaded Henry Ford to buy it. Lincoln had been founded by Henry Leland, a machinist with a penchant for precision, who named the company after President Abraham Lincoln, his hero.