China engine shifts global auto industry

FOR over a century, the global automotive industry has followed a rigid hierarchical order. Europe invented the automobile, the United States industrialised mass production, and Japan refined lean manufacturing techniques. Most other economies remained technical followers.This century-long, stable structure is now undergoing an irreversible structural reshaping.The 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA 220 Hybrid stands as the most symbolic case of this industrial shift. For the first time in its global mass-production lineup, the founder of modern automobiles has adopted a 1.5-litre turbocharged M252 engine, jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and Geely an…