In today’s session, we speak with a trailblazer in the Asian electric vehicle industry to find out all about the new venture he is involved in.

Joining us all the way from Taipei, Jack Cheng is Co-Founder of electric vehicle maker NIO and was formerly the Chairman of Fiat (China) Automobiles, and is now the chairman of a company called M Mobility.

M Mobility is a startup that aims to commercialise ideas formed within a Foxconn-led consortium called MIH platform.

For context, MIH, or Mobility in Harmony Consortium, is an organisation initiated by Foxconn to create an open EV ecosystem that promotes collaboration in the mobility industry.

The consortium realises key technologies, develop reference designs and standards, while bridging the gap between members in the ecosystem to lower barriers to entry, accelerate innovation, and shorten development cycles.

The goal is to bring strategic partners together to build the next generation of EV, autonomous driving and mobility service applications.

So back to M Mobility, the startup crafts EV solutions tailored for mobility service providers and fleet operators. It aims to connect innovative EV designs with the global supply chain. But what does the firm mean exactly by that and what is its value proposition exactly?

Meanwhile, M Mobility had in October 2023 became the first open EV platform licensee of the MIH Consortium. But how has it made use of MIH Consortium’s platform thus far?

What is also worthy of note is that the firm is said to be backed by Indian information technology services and consulting firm Tech Mahindra, and is working with Sumitomo Corporation EV services arm Hakobune to change the way people view mobility. But where do the different players come in to support M Mobility’s growth?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Jack Cheng, Chairman, M Mobility.

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We’ve taken you through the ins and outs of over 300 companies globally over the past two years. That’s almost one company every one or two working days – rain or shine.

But there is one company that we have not talked about all this time. And that is the company behind our radio station MONEY FM 89.3. Yes I am talking about the Singapore Press Holdings or more specifically what’s now known as SPH Media.

With its legacy tracing back to the years 1845 and 1923 with the first runs of the English daily The Straits Times and the predecessor of Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, SPH Media is a leading media group with operations in publishing print and digital newspapers, magazines and books.

The firm started out as SPH Limited in August 1984 where it brought together newspaper brands from two companies, namely The Straits Times Press Group (STP) and the Singapore News and Publications Limited (SNPL), as well as two other publishing, production and distribution companies called Times Publishing Bhd (TP) and Singapore Newspaper Services Pte Ltd (SNS).

At that point, the company published seven newspapers in three languages – The Straits Times, Berita Harian, The Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min Daily News and the Singapore Monitor.

The mission is to be the trusted source of news on Singapore and Asia and to represent the communities that make up Singapore and to connect them to the world.

Over four decades have passed since and the business has now expanded to also own and operate radio stations and outdoor media, including MONEY FM 89.3.

SPH Limited also underwent a restructuring of the media business, with SPH Media taking over SPH Limited’s entire media related business and operating as a public company limited by guarantee.

But why are we speaking to SPH Media you might ask? Well, we want to find out how SPH Media is preparing for the future as media companies around the world transform their century old business models in a digital world.

We also want to talk about the rise in news consumption through social media platforms and what that means for traditional media. Also on the agenda – how the rise in social media usage changes the way mainstream media outlets create, promote and distribute their news stories.

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Chan Yeng Kit, CEO, SPH Media.

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From a metal shop to an automotive giant – we’re going to go on an adventure today, to look at how carmaker Peugeot made history in the 21st century, and how it intends to charge ahead.

Founded in 1810 in the midst of the industrial revolution by Jean-Frederic and Jean-Pierre II Peugeot, the company came about when the Peugeot family transformed its hydraulic mill into a steel mill.

With the steel mill, various branches of the family started expanding into manufacturing to produce a wide range of products, all based on steel.

Think along the lines of tools, springs, umbrellas, whales, corset frames, watch pieces, bicycles and more.

Years went by, and then came a family member called Armand Peugeot who is crucial to the entire story.

As someone who was fascinated by engineering, Armand Peugeot came up with the first Peugeot-branded automotive vehicle in 1889, a steam-driven, non-commercialised 3-wheeler. That sowed the seeds for the modern day Peugeot.

In 2021, Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobile merged to form Stellantis, becoming the world’s third largest automaker by vehicle sales. Today, Peugeot is said to offer the widest electric vehicle line-up of any European mainstream brand, covering all needs from urban cars to commercial vehicles.

But how has Peugeot’s positioning changed over the centuries, particularly post merger? Also – how is Peugeot as a brand doubling down on the electrification trend, especially with the discontinuation of its 508 model to make way for EVs?

On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Linda Jackson, (then) CEO, Peugeot.

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Additional Note:
Shortly after the Part 1 of the interview went out, Stellantis, the parent company of Peugeot, announced a series of changes to its top leadership, including at Peugeot.

As part of the changes, Alain Favey was announced as the new CEO of Peugeot, taking over from Linda (Jackson) who has retired after 20 years with the company.

It's been a privilege to speak with Linda in one of her last interviews with the media in her capacity at Peugeot, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavour.

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