With the industry 4.0 and the need of both, suppliers and OEMs to build new production sites and/or integrated multi-brand or multi-type matrix platforms that suit the changing and challenging developments, for example the requirements of electrified cars, there is a push for (joint) greenfield investments in the industry.

Our expertise includes advising in the bidding process, on real estate matters, construction and operation and management contracts as well as corporate and regulatory challenges

Our dedicated team are advising on transactions and commercial opportunities across the full electric vehicle (“EV”) lifecycle: from mining and raw materials, through to battery and EV manufacture, charging infrastructure and recycling.

The product development cycle of cars and the development of new functionalities are accelerating - in part due to competition with emerging corporations and tech companies - and there is a wider regulatory environment that has to be adhered to, when developing and designing cars.

Product compliance is of the utmost importance and in case product design did not meet or worked against the spirit of legal requirements, we have a wide experience when it comes to crisis and/or risk management support.

Electrification changes the way we understand mobility. New questions with regards to the regulation of batteries, alternative fuel infrastructure and product liability law have to be anticipated. Additionally, questions regarding smart-contracting and contactless payments, health and safety regulations as well as electricity regulation in the broader sense have to be kept in mind – which we do with our holistic advice.

Level three and upwards is also a core competence of our Automotive Sector Team. We are aware that autonomous driving touches many legal areas and have the required experience and overview of the sector. Our experience covers, amongst others, product liability, data protection, warranty law, antitrust, telecommunication law as well as behavioural, road traffic and patent law.

Connected cars are both the first logical step on the way to becoming autonomous and a way to create new business models for OEMs, suppliers and tech-companies. We advise in all these areas and have a special focus on Vehicle2Vehicle, Vehicle2Infrastructure communication, in-car-shops and over-the-air updates. We are also very knowledgeable in the areas of car-sharing, car-hauling and the use of digital keys.

With the continuously evolving market and regulatory environment we know that there is a strong need to consolidate, collaborate and to join forces through joint ventures or acquisitions across the manufacturing, R&D and tech value chains. When setting up any such operation in the automotive sector, especially regarding product development, you need corporate lawyers with in-depth industry knowledge, which Linklaters can provide.