The combined company will operate as under the Aebi Schmidt name, headquartered in Burgdorf, Bern, Switzerland.

The restructuring reflects broader trends in the German automotive sector, where legacy OEMs face rising competition, high wage costs, higher energy prices and a growing urgency to adapt to the post-ICE era.

This move by Bridgestone is seen as a wider industry trend, as tyre manufacturers increasingly position themselves as digital solutions partners.

The company commemorated the establishment of its heavy truck factory – now also its headquarters – in 1955, since which date it has built more than 1.25 million trucks and 2 million cabs.

Leapfrog’s ‘Leap’-branded digital platform allows customers to turn their fleets into so-called ‘virtual power plants’ which can discharge stored energy back into the grid and generate revenue.

The board emphasised that Kaushal’s appointment is not a reaction to any crisis, but a proactive step to align executive capabilities with long-term ambitions.

New Phoenix multi-fuel “super” truck range launched

Zion joins the company from another electric vehicle startup, Bollinger Motors, where he served as chief product officer.

The contract stipulates a firm order for two hundred buses, to be delivered beginning in 2026, plus options to acquire up to 550 more.

Speaking with T&BB at the UITP event, Karsan CEO Okan Baş said that the decision to launch the e‑ATA LE reflects a strategic move to expand the company’s e-mobility offering and respond to public transport authorities' growing focus on fleet electrification, energy efficiency, and service flexibility.

In the meantime, prototype development and pilot manufacturing continue as the first pilot fleets are scheduled for deployment in Hamburg in August 2025 in partnership with the German transport operator, Hamburger Hochbahn.

At the summit, Iveco announced a strategic partnership with ABB focused on high-power charging infrastructure for bus depots and opportunity charging hubs, aimed at delivering turnkey charging solutions for operators. This agreement complements the roll-out of their E‑Way fleet.