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FEATURES

20
World’s Greatest
Auto Disruptors
The people, companies
and products making big
things happen in the car
industry right now.
by EilEEn falkEnbErg-Hull

26 Visionary
Oliver Zipse, BMW Group
30 Executive
Akio Toyoda, Toyota
Motor Corporation
34 Technology Rollout
Ford Pro, Ford Motor
Company
36 Marketing Strategy
Genesis
40 Designer TIME TRAVEL The design for Genesis’ X Convertible is a glimpse
Luc Donckerwolke, into the company’s future. The third in a trio of innovative concept cars,
Hyundai Motor Company the high-end X Convertible is now slated for production.
42 Sustainability
Achievement
Lamborghini
46 Powertrain
Lucid Motors
48 Research &
Development Team
BMW
50 Legacy of Disruption
SA MIR SADIK HOV/G EN E SI S HOU SE

Torsten Müller-Ötvös,
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

COVERS Photograph of Zipse by BMW; Toyoda by Noriaki Mitsuhashi/N-Rak Photo Agency

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D E PA RT M E N T S
▾ In Focus ▾ Periscope ▾ Culture

06 Nashville, 10 Politics 56 Uncharted

Tennessee Kyrsten Sinema’s Climate-Friendly
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08 Ciudad Juárez, 16 World 62 Talking Points
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“Misery became a way of life in Indochina long ago, but the tide of
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August 2021, when evacuation scenes were similarly chaotic.

1984

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 In Focus
THE NEWS IN PICTURES

NA S H V I LLE , T E N N E S S E E

Mourning
Girls embrace in front of a makeshift memorial
for victims of the fatal shooting at the Covenant
School on March 28. The day before, a heavily armed
former student killed three third-grade children and
three school staff. The 28-year-old shooter, who
surveilled the campus and planned the attack with
a detailed map, was shot dead by police. Occurring
during the 13th week of the year, the tragedy
was at least the 130th mass shooting in the U.S.
this year according to the Gun Violence Archive,
more than at this point in any year since 2013.

▸ B R E N DA N S M I A L OW S K I

6 NE WSWEEK .COM
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April 14, 2023 NE WSWEEK .COM 7

In Focus

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8 NE WSWEEK .COM APril 14, 2023

 CIUDAD JUÁREZ, M EXICO
Crossing Fire
Paramedics carry an injured
migrant after a fire killed at least
38 detainees at a migration
detention center in the border
city on March 28. Authorities
say the fire was started as a
protest by detainees slated for
deportation. The latest footage
appears to show guards leaving
the erupting blaze without
trying to release the men who
were locked up behind bars.
▸ HERIKA MARTINEZ
ALAUSI, ECUADOR
Sunk
An aerial view on March 28 of the
zone affected by a massive landslide
that took place in central Ecuador
two days earlier, following months
of pounding rain. As rescuers search
for missing people, the death toll
climbed to 11. Destroying part of the
Pan-American Highway, the disaster
affects 500 people and 163 homes,
while the country is still scarred by
a deadly earthquake that struck
its southern coast a week before.
▸ MARCOS PIN
TEL AVIV
Right-Wing Fail
Demonstrators gather in Tel Aviv
on March 27. Protests against the
hard-right government’s push to
overhaul the justice system grew
even more heated after Prime
Minister Netanyahu fired his
defense minister, who warned that
the divisions over the proposed
changes threatened Israeli security.
In wake of the mass protests,
Netanyahu delayed the plan,
announcing “a timeout for dialogue.”
▸ G I L C O H E N - M AG E N
NE WSWEEK .COM 9
Periscope N E W S , O P I N I O N + A N A LY S I S

STANDING OUT
Arizona Senator
Kyrsten Sinema,
here at the State of
the Union address
in February, has
walked her own
path on Capitol Hill.
 “It’s stupid. It’s inhumane, but that’s
how the law is structured here.” ▸ P.16

POLITICS

Kyrsten
Sinema’s Border
Crusade
The controversial Arizona senator is hoping a win on
immigration will help build her rep as a bipartisan dealmaker

As the 2024 election seAson drAws neAr,
immigration policy on the southern border
has emerged as a make-or-break issue for both par-
ties. For Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who
recently switched her affiliation from Democrat to
independent, it also represents an opportunity—a
chance to leave behind a reputation as an obstruc-
tionist among some members of her former party
and build her image as a bipartisan dealmaker who
can get things done in a divided congress.
BLOOMBERG/GE T T Y; TOP RIGHT: GE T T Y
agents is at an “all-time low” as the agency faces his-
toric migration levels as individuals flee increasing
gang violence and economic devastation.
In a show of determination to find a solution that
both parties can live with, Sinema, with Republican
Senator John Cornyn of Texas, co-led a bipartisan
group of eight senators to the same area in January.
Although border tours by prominent politicians
are commonplace these days, this trip was different,
Sinema tells Newsweek in an exclusive interview, call-

A deal can come none too soon.
Last month, in what’s become an all-too-famil-
iar occurrence, hundreds of migrants tried to rush
across the bridge from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to
El Paso, Texas, shouting “we want to get
through!” On the other side, outnum-
bered border agents sat behind tempo- by
rary barriers, ready for confrontation.
A L E X J.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz has ROUHANDEH
acknowledged that morale among his
ing it the “largest bipartisan congressional delega-
tion from the Senate [to the border] in decades.” Also
in the group: Republicans Jerry Moran of Kansas,
Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford
of Oklahoma, plus Democrats Mark Kelly
of Arizona, Chris Murphy of Connecticut
and Chris Coons of Delaware.
Sinema described the group as “serious
policy makers,” and said their trip to the
border meeting with local leaders and

Photograph by SAR AH SILBIGER NE WSWEEK .COM 11

Periscope
surveying security and humanitar-
ian concerns firsthand supports her
contention that passage of federal
legislation addressing immigration
and border security can be done, even
with a divided Congress. In late March,
Sinema joined Cornyn on another trip
focused on border issues, this time to
Mexico City, where lawmakers met
with Mexican President Andrés Man-
uel López Obrador to discuss efforts
being taken against drug trafficking
and illegal immigration.
“ The gravity with which we
approached this I think sends a clear
message to folks across the political
spectrum that we take this seriously,”
Sinema tells Newsweek. “We want to
solve the problem and get this done.”
Getting Deals Done
Sinema projects confidence about
the prospects of a deal despite the
expected challenges ahead. Coming
off the historic 50-50 divided Senate
of the last Congress, she enters this
year’s negotiations with several key
bipartisan wins under her belt.
Teaming with former Republi-
can Senator Rob Portman of Ohio,
Sinema led the effort to pass the
bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure
POLITICS
bill that saw historic investments
in the nation’s roads, bridges, air-
ports, water systems, border ports-
of-entry and rural broadband, a key
provision for Arizona’s rural desert
communities. President Joe Biden
acknowledged Sinema as the lead
co-author, calling her “the most deter-
mined woman I know.”
Sinema also served as lead nego-
tiator in other high-profile wins for
Biden, including the Respect for Mar-
riage Act providing protections for
same-sex and interracial marriages,
the Bipartisan Safer Communities gun
control legislation and the PACT Act
providing health care benefits to vet-
erans exposed to toxic burn pits. She
also helped facilitate passage of the
CHIPS and Science Act, which created
a $280 billion investment in the semi-
conductor manufacturing industry.
Arizona’s junior Democratic
Senator Mark Kelly, who entered
the upper chamber after ousting a
Republican incumbent in 2020, has
worked closely with Sinema in these
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Sinema talks
with President Joe Biden in December,
during a ceremony marking passage
of the Respect for Marriage Act.
bipartisan efforts. He served as a lead
negotiator for the CHIPS bill, wrote
the water provisions in the infrastruc-
ture law and helped shape the PACT
and Safer Communities acts.
Kelly says Sinema embraces work-
ing with Republicans. They often
speak about how this approach to
legislating mirrors the importance
their state puts on independence, as
exemplified by the late Republican
Senator John McCain. Kelly said this
embrace of Arizona values has helped
make them both effective representa-
tives of the state.
“I don’t think Democrats have all
the best solutions, and I don’t think
Republicans do either, but working
together we can find solutions that
are good for the American people,”
Kelly tells Newsweek. “One reason why
[Senator Sinema and I] work so well
together is that we both understand
that this place works better when
you’re looking to compromise.”
Sinema echoed Kelly’s sentiments.
“ There are people who work
hard, and there are people who talk
loud,” she tells Newsweek. “We can
accomplish amazing things when
we put down the partisan talking
points, listen to each other and
deliver real results.”
What a Border Win Would Mean
Migration numbers continue to
loom as a major political liability for
Democrats and the Biden adminis-
tration heading into the 2024 elec-
tion. While monthly encounters
between migrants and U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) officials
at the southern border have recently
dropped—from nearly 252,000 in
December 2022 to under 157,000
in January and February 2023—the
number of monthly encounters
remain at historic highs, and the
Biden administration has struggled
APRIL 14, 2023

to deflect criticism over its han-
dling of the issue.
With growing frustration from
the left over the country’s current
immigration channels and from the
right over America’s ability to seal its
borders, the Sinema-led framework,
which remains under deliberation
without a formal introduction date,
could ease concerns on both sides. It
seeks to provide funding for border
enforcement technology, the hiring
of new agents and modernizing the
FROM LE F T: TING SHE N/BLOOM BE RG /G E T T Y; HE RIK A MARTINE Z /AF P/GE T T Y
asylum system, while also addressing
issues within the work visa process
and providing Dreamers, immigrants
brought to the country illegally as
young children, a path to citizenship.
For Biden and the Democrats, a
border win would help defuse one of
“We can accomplish
the party’s most significant criticisms.
For Sinema, who faces continued heat
from Democrats for bucking key ele-
ments of her former party’s agenda, a
win on immigration could provide an
answer to those on the left who have
criticized her bipartisan approach to
policy making. And should the senior
Arizona senator decide to seek reelec-
tion in 2024, such a win would likely
prove significant in making the argu-
ment that she is the person who not
only best represents the state’s politi-
cal values but can also translate those
values into legislative victories.
A Path to Success
In 2013, Congress came close to pass-
ing a bipartisan immigration and
border enforcement deal after the
Senate passed a bill negotiated by a
bipartisan group that included cur-
rent Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer of New York and frequent
Republican adversaries Lindsey Gra-
ham of South Carolina and Marco
Rubio of Florida. The bill, which
amazing things
when we put down
the partisan talking
points, listen to each
other and deliver
real results.”
STALEMATE Migrants last month
tried to enter the U.S. forcibly via a
bridge in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, but
were held off by border agents.
would have provided undocumented
immigrants a pathway to citizenship,
added 40,000 new border patrol
agents, introduced new ways to earn
work visas and repealed the diversity
visa lottery, got 14 Republican votes.
But it died in the House after then-
Speaker John Boehner, a Republican,
refused to bring it to a vote.
Laurel Harbridge-Yong, a profes-
sor specializing in congressional pol-
itics at Northwestern University, says
the current situation in Congress
today may lead to a similar result
for Sinema’s proposed immigration
bill. While Senate lawmakers may be
open to compromise, Harbridge-Yong
said Republican Speaker of the House
Kevin McCarthy may not want to
bring such an agreement to the floor
for fear of igniting open conflict
between the hard-right Freedom
Caucus and the moderate wing of his
party who might favor a deal.
“With this kind of multi-dimen-
sional policy making, you can get
something new that is a win for each
side without being too much of a con-
cession,” Harbridge-Yong tells News-
week. “[But] if the Speaker expects a
bill to highlight divisions internally
within their party, they may not want
to put that bill on the floor because
the collective cost of showing those
divisions and airing their internal
fights may not be worth it.”
Still, she says the bill is not
“doomed,” and that “there is a chance”
it could pass. Demand for a response
to the border and immigration situ-
ation remains high on both sides of
the aisle, and there is a mechanism in
place to force a decision on the issue.
Democrats, with the support of
NE WSWEEK .COM 13
Periscope POLITICS

moderate Republicans, could file
a “discharge petition” that forces a
vote on the measure at hand. Har-
bridge-Yong explains that it requires
218 of the 435 members of the House
to sign the petition, which requires
However, she noted there is also
a downside for Sinema. “But what’s
really sunk her is that it also means
she is like a thorn in Biden’s back,” Klar
said. “She’s really been a huge problem
for the national Democratic Party, and
passage due to concerns around infla-
tion and the bill’s price tag.
Sinema drew further heat when she
voted to protect the filibuster when
Democrats looked to scrap the mea-
sure to facilitate passage of the John

the bill to eventually be brought to
the floor. It’s a long shot, though:
Harbridge-Yong notes that between
1931 and 2002, some 563 discharge
petitions were filed, but only 47 got
the required number of signatures,
just 26 received a vote and only 19
ultimately passed.
A Still Divisive Figure
While Sinema and Kelly may share a
similar approach to policy making,
they diverge widely when it comes to
national party politics.
Both ran and entered the Senate as
that has damaged her reputation.”
During negotiations around
Biden’s original $3.5 trillion Build
Back Better agenda, Sinema’s stock
among Democrats soured when both
she and centrist Democratic Senator
Joe Manchin of West Virginia held up
“Arizonans don’t wake
up thinking about
Republican breakfast
or Democratic ride to
FROM LEF T: ARIANA DREH SLER /AFP/GE T T Y; TOM WILLIAM S /CQ - RO LL C ALL , I NC /GE T T Y
Lewis Voting Rights Act. As pressure
from progressives mounted to pass
Build Back Better and Voting Rights,
Sinema’s decision to maintain the
filibuster proved to be the last straw
for many Democrats.
Sinema defended her vote against
abolishing the filibuster in an op-ed
for the Washington Post, arguing that
she favors the rule, which requires
60 votes in order for legislation to
pass, because it “compels modera-
tion and helps protect the country
from wild swings between oppos-
ing policy poles.”

work. They just want

Democrats, but Sinema announced Fast-forward to July 2022, when
in December 2022 that she would Manchin ultimately agreed to the
be leaving the Democratic Party meaningful solutions to Inflation Reduction Act as a replace-
and switching her registration to the problems they face.” ment to Build Back Better, Sinema
independent. While she does not
attend Democratic Caucus meetings,
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has
maintained her committee assign-
ments with the majority. Her voting
record over the last Congress was
similar to that of Kelly and other
centrist Democrats.
Samara Klar, a professor who stud-
ies political behavior at the University
of Arizona School of Government and
Public Policy, says Sinema’s approach
is consistent with an Arizona elector-
ate that is “pretty moderate overall,”
and tends to “reward centrists” while
penalizing extremists.
“For Kyrsten Sinema, the truth is I
think that her moderate centrist kind
of party-bucking ways may have actu-
ally played out fine in Arizona,” Klar
tells Newsweek. “I think she’s got a
pretty good case to be made that she’s
represented the state well and that she’s
doing what people voted her in to do.”

14 NE WSWEEK .COM
once again left her fingerprints on
the bill by insisting that it nix an
effort to remove the “carried interest
loophole,” which allows private equity
investors to pay lower tax rates on
certain income. She also requested an
additional $4 billion in aid to address
the Colorado River drought crisis,
money which benefits Arizona. Both
demands were met, and the bill passed.
By then, much of the damage to
her political standing among the left
was done. Progressive groups that
had once worked on her campaign
were now advocating for her removal.
Some Democrats began suggesting
she be replaced in the Senate with
someone who supports the party
agenda. Congressman Ruben Gallego,
a member of the Progressive Caucus,
has entered the race for the Demo-
cratic Party nomination to challenge
her in 2024, if she runs.
Since Gallego’s announcement,
reports of Sinema’s attitude toward
the Democrats have fueled further ire
among members of her former party.
In March POLITICO reported that
the Arizona senator has met regularly
with GOP lobbyists and made critical,
joking comments about Democratic
colleagues in such meetings, includ-
ing criticizing Democratic Caucus
lunches as a place where “old dudes
are eating Jell-O, everyone is talking
about how great they are.”
Some, including Klar, speculate
that if Sinema had remained a Dem-
ocrat she would have lost in the 2024
primary due to this erosion of sup-
port. By becoming an independent,
she no longer has to face a primary—
but also risks losing access to millions
in campaign funding from the Dem-
ocratic Party. Sinema claimed during
her announcement of the switch that
she “never really fit into a box of any
political party” and that the affiliation
better reflects that sentiment.
HELPING THE CAUSE Below left: Protecting the U.S.-
Mexico border. Above: Republican Rob Portman,
who teamed with Sinema on the infrastructure bill.
Will Independence Save Her?
Sinema’s voting record and switch to
independent have lowered her favor-
ability among Democrats from 42
percent to 30 percent, but an opinion
poll of Arizona voters in January 2023
found that her approval among inde-
pendents has risen from 29 percent to
42 percent. Similarly, approval among
Republicans improved from 38 per-
cent to 43 percent. Among state voters
as a whole, her approval rose from 36
percent to 38 percent.
In Arizona, those unaffiliated with
either major party encompass about
35 percent of the state electorate.
Republicans comprise 35 percent, and
Democrats hold 30 percent.
Sinema’s approval among Repub-
licans is reflected in the opinions of
her GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill,
including North Carolina’s Thom Til-
lis, a prolific dealmaker and Sinema’s
partner on the border security bill.
“Senator Sinema is just highly reli-
able, going through several nego-
tiations where she and I were very
actively involved,” Tillis tells Newsweek.
“Number one, she’s got a great mem-
ory. Number two, when she makes a
commitment, she follows through on
it. Number three, she’s just enjoyable
to work with. Democrats need more
of them [like Sinema].”
Despite relationships like this and
her body of work, Harbridge-Yong
said she believes the Arizona senator
has yet to build a national reputation
as someone with a “unique ability to
build coalitions or negotiate.”
While Sinema has been at the
center of a number of deals, Har-
bridge-Yong said this may be due to
her ideological position as a centrist
during a polarizing time in America,
not because she has a unique ability
to bring people together. She said this
differs from someone like former
Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy
who, despite being “staunchly liberal,”
built a reputation as someone able to
work with conservatives.
However, if Sinema pulls off an
immigration deal, Harbridge-Yong
said such a feat could reshape the
way she is viewed nationally. Getting
such a bill through a divided Congress
would demonstrate Sinema’s ability
to cut bipartisan deals in a political
atmosphere even thornier than that
of the last Congress, showing those in
Washington she’s able to build coali-
tions that go beyond relationships of
political convenience.
Such a feat could also prove sig-
nificant in showing that bipartisan
legislation grounded in centrism can
still deliver for the people, even in a
time of extreme polarization within
a split Congress. And that’s a mes-
sage likely to play well with voters in
Sinema’s home state.
“Arizonans don’t actually wake up
thinking about Republican breakfast
or Democratic ride to work,” Sinema
says. “They just want meaningful solu-
tions to the problems that they face,
and they want government to get out
of the way, and that’s my approach.”
▸ Alex J. Rouhandeh is a congres-
sional correspondent at newsweek.
Follow him @AlexRouhandeh
NE WSWEEK .COM 15
Periscope

WO R LD

An Uncertain Future
for Ukrainian
Refugees in the U.S.
Thousands who fled to safety in
America are now caught in immigration limbo.
Will they be forced to return home?

Until last month, larysa Status (TPS) or who are beneficiaries

Atamas did not know where
she and her 9-year-old son would
go once their time in the U.S. was
up in April. What she did know was
that going back to the city they once
called home—Kharkiv, Ukraine—
was not an option.
It’s been nearly 14 months since
Russia first invaded Ukraine, sparking
a refugee crisis and one of the largest
mass migrations of the past century.
Out of more than 8 million Ukraini-
ans who have fled the coun-
try since the war broke out,
over 270,000 came to the
by
U.S. For roughly 20,000
of them who, like Atamas, K AT H E R I N E
FUNG
entered the country under
the federal government’s
humanitarian parole program, their
time in America is ticking as the one-
year limit on their stays nears.
“April is approaching, and we are
panicking more and more,” Atamas,
whose parole expires April 16, told
Newsweek, in an interview last month.
Of the three most common ways
that Ukrainians fleeing the war came
to the U.S., humanitarian parolees
are in the most precarious position,
with fewer rights and shorter dead-
lines on their time in America than
those granted Temporary Protected
under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U)
program. Arriving after April 11—the
cutoff for Ukrainians to get Tempo-
rary Protected Status—but before the
Biden administration rolled out U4U
on April 25, parolees were granted
only one year to stay in the U.S. upon
their arrival at the U.S.-Mexico border.
On the other hand, U4U beneficiaries
are allotted two years and TPS bene-
ficiaries 18 months. In addition, the
TPS designation also protects indi-
viduals from deportation in
cases where there is active
conflict or unrest in their
home countries—a security
that parolees do not have.
While parolees do have
access to refugee benefits
like food stamps, Medicaid, cash
assistance and the opportunity to
apply for work authorization, parol-
ees critically do not have refugee sta-
tus, which would create a pathway
for citizenship.
On March 13—less than a month
before paroles were slated to begin
expiring on April 11—the Biden
administration’s Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) did finally
address the issue, saying it would
start to automatically consider
parole extensions “on a case-by-case
basis” to align “certain Ukraini-
ans and family members” with the
parole provided under U4U. The par-
ticulars are still murky, though, and
it remains unclear whether every
Ukrainian immigrant on parole will
be granted an extension.
“We left war, death, explosions.
We took our children to safety,” Ata-
mas told Newsweek. “Imagine, now,
after a year—when our children got
used to school, friends appeared,
our children began to forget what
hunger, overnight stays at train sta-
tions and other horrors are—we
[might have to] take them into
the unknown again.”
An Arduous Path to the U.S.
Without an extension, parolees like
Atamas will have no viable path to
stay in the U.S., even though there
is still no end in sight to the war in

16 NE WSWEEK .COM April 14, 2023


their homeland. The idea of having
to uproot her family again to find
safe haven is devastating to Atamas,
who says the hardship of traveling
in the immediate aftermath of Rus-
sia’s invasion took a heavy toll; it
will be a long time, she says, before
she is able to talk about the month
and a half that she, her son and an
elderly family friend spent wander-
ing around Germany looking for a
viable place to settle.
Other refugees, like Maria (who
asked to be identified by her first
name only), recalled her story
through tearful sobs. “We were hop-
ing to stay as close to the Ukrainian
border as possible—in case there
was any way we would be able to turn
around and go back,” she said. “But
it became increasingly obvious that
that wasn’t going to happen.”
GE T T Y
In the early days of the war, Maria
P h o t o g r a p h b y M A R I O TA M A
and her daughter made their way to
Hungary after seeing the long lines
at the Polish border. They spent two
weeks in Budapest before being
advised to leave in the wake of Prime
Minister Viktor Orban’s re-election.
They made their way to Belgium, a
small country that was overwhelmed
by the influx of Ukrainians.
“It was a wonderful country, very
warmly receptive of us,” Maria said.
“Allowing Ukrainian
refugees to remain in
the U.S. is a fundamental
piece of our support
for Ukraine in defense
of their country and
their democracy.”
SEEKING ASYLUM A family who fled Kyiv
in March 2022 wait for safe passage from
Tijuana, Mexico, to the U.S. The status of
such families in America is now in limbo.
“But there was a large Ukrainian dias-
pora that was already in existence in
Belgium.” Because of this, she strug-
gled to enroll her daughter in school.
Desperate to find a long-term
home, she and her daughter hoped
to join Maria’s sister in Connecticut,
but there was no legal pathway into
the U.S. at the time. Their earliest
opportunity for a visa interview was
September 2023. Considering their
limited options, they flew to Spain,
then Mexico, where a $10 visa was
made available immediately, and
crossed the border in Tijuana. Once
in the U.S., she flew to New Jersey,
then traveled to Greenwich, Con-
necticut, to reunite with her sister.
“The 10 months that we’ve been
in the U.S. have not been an easy
10 months, but they have not been
nearly as psychologically damag-
ing as the two weeks we spent in
Hungary,” Maria said. Her parole
ends April 23, 2023.
Bureaucratic Hurdles
There has been little attention
brought to parolees because most
Ukrainians who came to the U.S.
aren’t facing the imminent possi-
bility of being forced to leave. More
than half arrived in the U.S. through
the Uniting for Ukraine program—a
DHS initiative that has been widely
applauded as innovative, efficient
and game-changing by immigration
attorneys and nonprofit leaders alike.
By granting two-year stays under
private sponsorships, U4U found an
alternative to the narrow, refugee
pathway at the State Department,
allowing the United States to absorb
more than 100,000 Ukrainians who
NE WSWEEK .COM 17
Periscope
were seeking a new home.
Parolees, those who left Ukraine
before U4U was announced, face
a more uncertain future largely
because of the structure of DHS agen-
cies. Crossing through the southern
border means that parolees were
processed into the country by U.S.
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), an
agency focused more on entry than
long-term immigration, something
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) is better suited for.
Without last month’s announce-
ment about automatic reviews,
parolees would have had to go back
to the port of entry that granted the
parole originally in order to seek an
extension of parole. For Atamas, it
would have meant making the trek
from Everrett, Massachusetts, back to
southern California just to make the
case that Ukraine remains an unsafe
place to return. DHS data shows that
based on sponsorship applications,
seven of the eight most popular
metros for Ukrainian refugees are in
the north: Seattle, Chicago, Detroit,
Portland, Cleveland, New York City
and Philadelphia.
For Oleksii and Natalia Vash-
chenko, who have already been
forced to travel tirelessly, asking
for a parole extension would have
involved a trip from Springfield, Mas-
sachusetts, to San Diego, California,
with their teen son.
Living 70 miles from the Russian
border, the Vashchenkos spent the
first days of the war watching rockets
fly over their house. Hearing stories
that Russian soldiers were raiding
nearby villages, the Vashchenkos
avoided turning on any lights at
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM Democrat Zoe
Lundgren of California thinks Ukrainians
with Temporary Protected Status will be
able to extend their U.S. stay next fall.
18 NE WSWEEK .COM
WORLD
“How do I stand in
front of my daughter
and hear her talk
about her future
when I don’t know
“I can’t go back to Ukraine. Our home
what our future is?”
home and went to bed prepared to
escape in the middle of the night.
“The first few weeks we were liv-
ing in extreme fear,” Oleksii said.
“We didn’t believe the war would
last this long. We were hoping that
both countries, or somebody, would
interfere and things would come
to an agreement.”
When they received a call from a
neighbor that the Russian army was
coming to their village, Natalia and
their son boarded an overcrowded
train that took them to Poland.
From Poland, they traveled through
Germany to Paris, before leaving
Europe for Mexico.
Upon landing in Mexico City, they
were taken to Cancun and bussed to
the border, where “welcoming” CBP
officers processed them through
humanitarian parole. But on April 19,
Natalia and her son’s parole will end.
“If nothing is announced, I would
have no choice but to leave,” Natalia
said prior to the latest DHS directive.
being so close to the Russian border,
it’s not possible.
“Maybe, if they extend my parole,
that year will give Ukraine more time
to be safe enough to return,” she said.
Both Maria and Natalia’s hus-
bands were able to make their way
to the U.S.—Maria’s joined her
in July 2022, Natalia’s in August
2022—through the U4U program.
But this has left the families with
a potentially difficult decision if
humanitarian parole isn’t extended:
Would everyone leave together or
will the one family member with the
legal right to still be in the U.S. stay
behind in America?
Recognizing the complexities of
the immigration paths that Ukraini-
ans have used to enter the U.S., the
DHS bureaus have already agreed
to share authority and transfer
jurisdiction when a case warrants.
The obstacle is logistical: trans-
ferring thousands of immigrants
who have only interacted with Cus-
toms and Border Patrol into a new
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services system.
“It’s not that the DHS didn’t recog-
nize the problem,” says Anne Smith,
executive director and regulatory
counsel at the Ukrainian Immigra-
tion Task Force. “They didn’t really
realize the impact of the numbers.”
While lawyers recognize that
immigration officials and agents
can only act within the framework
that exists, they stress the deadline
is cutting close.
Less than a week before the
announcement was made, Melanie
Zamenhof, director of legal services
APRIL 14, 2023

at Jewish Family Services (JFS) Green-
wich, says she was “shocked and
appalled” that parolees were “set to
expire starting next month and no
one has done anything yet.”
Zamenhof had already begun
taking matters into her own hands,
taking the individual to CBP, then to
USCIS if Customs and Border Patrol
fails to respond. If no extensions are
granted, Zamenhof intends to file
asylum applications, which could
be tricky given that war is not a
FROM LE F T: CHIP SOMODE VILL A /G E T T Y; GU ILLERM O ARIA S /A FP/G E T T Y
basis for asylum.
Looking Toward
Broader Reform
Typically, parole is extended in
increments of a year with annual
revisions. Considering that there is
no end in sight to the war and that
fighting has lasted much longer than
expected, the immigration limbo
has raised questions about broader
changes in immigration policy that
might be needed.
“Allowing Ukrainian refugees to
remain in the U.S. is a fundamental
piece of our support for Ukraine in
defense of their country and their
democracy,” says Democratic Rep-
resentative Seth Moulton of Mas-
sachusetts. “Experts never guessed
that over a year out, Ukraine would
still be fighting back. We have to pro-
tect those who sought refuge here
in order to protect the culture, the
spirit, and preserve any chance at
rebuilding after this war.
“From Congress’ standp oint,
we’d need to have enough support
for something like adjustment of
status or more permanent path-
ways,” Moulton says.
But Evgenia Sorokina, advocacy
counsel at the Ukrainian Immigra-
tion Task Force, says that amending
the immigration system with piece-
meal legislation for one specific issue
remains an “insurmountable task.”
“It’s stupid. It’s inhumane, but
that’s how the law is structured
here,” Sorokina says. “Yet, nobody
will be changing the law at this
point because it’s not feasible.
It’s not possible.”
Before March 13, the adminis-
tration has relied on TPS to help
WAITING GAME Hundreds of Ukrainians
fleeing the war back home camp out near
a Mexico-U.S. border crossing hoping
for safe passage to America last April.
parolees, allowing those who had
come to the U.S. before April 11 to
apply for protected status. While it
would have given parolees six more
months, not everyone qualifies. And
now that parolees have longer exten-
sions, it begs the question of what
happens to Ukrainians with TPS
once October rolls around.
Pointing to President Joe Biden’s
commitment to Ukrainian solidar-
ity, Representative Zoe Lofgren, a
California Democrat who chaired
the House Immigration Committee
last year, tells Newsweek it wouldn’t
be “an uphill battle” to get TPS des-
ignations extended.
Ukrainian families, like the ones
who spoke to Newsweek, have only
recently begun to find their footing
here in the U.S. Natalia waited four
months to receive her work autho-
rization and Maria’s daughter, who
repeated the seventh grade because
of her unfamiliarity with English, is
only now connecting with her peers.
Recently, Maria’s daughter came
home gushing about the idea of
going to an American college.
“It was very difficult to stand there,
listening to my daughter talk about
her hopes and dreams, and wanting
that for her, but also knowing that in
about a month, I may not be able to
give her that,” Maria says.
“How do I stand here in front of
my daughter and hear her talk about
her future when I don’t know what
our future is?” she asks.
▸ Katherine Fung is a newsweek
reporter covering U.S. and world
politics. Follow her on Twitter
@katherinekfung.
NE WSWEEK .COM 19
 GOING FULL SPEED AHEAD ON INNOVA

20 NE WSWEEK .COM
 26 Visionary
30 Executive
34 Technology Rollout
36 Marketing Strategy
40 Designer
42 Sustainability Achievement
46 Powertrain
ALL AN SWART/GE T T Y

48 Research & Development Team

50 Legacy of Disruption
2023

TION WHILE OVERCOMING THE LINGERING EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC by EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL

APRIL 14, 2023 NE WSWEEK .COM 21

 hough the panic of the coViD-19 panDemic is firmly
in the rearview mirror for most of the world, the effects
of the virus on the automotive industry remain. Over-
coming those challenges while continuing to evolve
both practices and products are the themes of 2023.
This year’s Auto Disruptors are moving full speed
ahead on innovation, finding solutions to longstand-
ing problems, using cutting-edge technology and
pushing the limits of propulsion. They’re also focus-
ing on reducing, reusing and recycling to make their
businesses more sustainable. And they are seeing the
fruits of over a decade of planning in technology, sus-
tainability and product innovation.
“The auto industry has shown its resiliency and
willingness to evolve as it navigates out of the pan-
demic and continues toward electrification rollout
amidst a looming recession,” Paul Waatti, manager
of industry analysis at AutoPacific, tells Newsweek.
He adds, “Automakers are navigating lingering
unforeseen supply issues while simultaneously
preparing for new, more complex electric vehicle
production. Add to that the new Inflation Reduction
Act parameters that have set off a high-stakes chess
match to secure raw materials, localize assembly of
vehicles and batteries and align pricing accordingly.”
EVs Go Mainstream
ElEctrifiEd vEhiclEs (Evs), from hybrids to plug-
ins to battery-electric models, aren’t just buzzwords
anymore. In 2023, these vehicles are going main-
stream, gathering more market share than ever, with
new models designed to appeal to larger audiences.
Electric vehicle pricing is becoming a new bat-
tleground. Lori Wittman, president of retail solu-
tions at Cox Automotive, says, “Tesla’s price cuts dis-
rupted the EV industry in a big way and have had a
snowball effect on other major original equipment
manufacturers that are being forced to cut their
prices to stay competitive. All of this plays into our
prediction that the industry will hit a new mile-
stone in 2023 with 1 million EVs sold in the U.S.”
Experts say while higher end battery-electric vehi-
cles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Mercedes-Benz
EQS and Kia EV6 tend to gather the most enthusi-
asm, products like the Chevrolet Equinox EV and Kia
22 NE WSWEEK .COM
Niro EV will influence buyers most moving forward.
Auto Pacific’s Waatti says, “Most EVs are now in lux-
ury spaces that appeal to affluent early adopters. The
number of EV launches over the following year is signif-
icant, and incoming entrants like the more attainable
Chevrolet Equinox EV, for example, will test consum-
ers’ broader appeal to adopt EVs at a mainstream level.”
Consumers are buying new models, electrified or
not, in new ways, thanks in large part to business
changes that were in reaction to the COVID-19 pan-
demic. Digital interactions are taking the place of
in-person opportunities.
Asymmetric Change
car buyEr dEal-making has also changEd. “my
word of the year is ‘asymmetry,’” says Tyson Jominy,
vice president of automotive consulting at J.D. Pow-
er. “As the auto industry puts the COVID and supply
chain crisis years behind it, the return to normal op-
erations will vary widely between automakers and
How We Did It
TO DETERMINE THE CANDIDATES FOR THIS YEAR’S WORLD’S GREATEST AUTO
Disruptors, Newsweek’s Autos team compiled a list of candidates, con-
sidering every major automaker, in each of the award categories. Brands,
teams and individuals were nominated based on their cumulative merits
for the past year by the Autos team, led by Newsweek’s Senior Autos
Editor Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, after combing through each candidate’s
accomplishments in the areas of technology, sustainability, research
and development, business strategy, marketing, manufacturing, en-
gineering and future product planning. To be considered, candidates
had to be employing executive decision-making, corporate strategy,
product development and publicity in a way that is driving fundamental,
transformative change in the automotive market, with measurable re-
al-world results—or have clear and demonstrable potential to do so. The
Legacy award honors an individual who has achieved these results over
decades in the industry. The list of nominees was narrowed by Autos
editors, including Jake Lingeman. Winners were chosen after a consen-
sus was reached amongst the Autos team and Newsweek top editors.
 TRENDS TO WATCH
even within the portfolios of any given company.”
“Consumers seeing advertisements for low APR
rates on pickup trucks may return to the dealership
expecting deals on other vehicles only to be surprised
with prices and payments still reflective of low in-
ventory,” Jominy says. “Prices should gradually fall This year is shaping up as a rebound for The auTomoTive indusTry,
as production improves and consumers have more following a drop-off in sales in 2022. Even as supply chain problems begin
choices on dealer lots, but it won’t happen all at once.” to ease, new challenges are emerging—a possible recession, still-high
Jominy expects to see entry-level models come inflation, the impact of the war in Ukraine on the financial markets—that
back in stock, like Honda’s new CR-V SUV that starts could give buyers pause about spending money on new and used models.
at under $30,000. “Consumers should expect greater What won’t slow down, experts say: the industry’s development of fresh
availability of lower priced vehicles with entry-level products as design, testing, powertrain and sales evolutions that started
trims making a comeback or being reinstated,” he says. pre-pandemic take firm hold in the vehicles that can be found on dealer lots.
Newsweek asked its go-to group of automotive industry analysts what
“Fewer dealers will be able to charge above MSRP and
they see happening in the coming year. Here are their top predictions.
automakers will add incentives back to deals. How-
ever, a decision that cannot be undone is restarting

production of models that have been discontinued,
particularly entry-level subcompact or compact cars.”
The cars themselves are fundamentally changing
as well. There is a larger focus on sustainability these
days, even in internal combustion engine models. Dis-
1
Auto sales will slowly bounce back.
“Expect about a million more light
vehicle sales in the U.S. over 2022,
totaling around 14.8 million in 2023. At-
tributing to the healthy rise are consistent
signs of improvement in supply chains
dictive behavior coming into play. All of
this innovation is giving consumers more
personalized financing experiences and
dealers, lenders and original equipment
manufacturers more effective processes.”

ruptors on this front aren’t just building greener cars,
they’re making the way they are built a greener process.
The Connected Future
New vehicles are more coNNected thaN ever
before. 5G technology is being integrated into
helping to normalize inventory levels and
an increasing electric vehicle (EV) market
share,” AutoPacific’s manager of industry
analysis Paul Waatti tells Newsweek. Even
with that increase, though, sales are still
likely to remain slightly below 2021 levels,
according to AutoPacific’s estimates.
4
Business owners will
be forced to get creative.
Business owners in the market for
new vehicles that can be modified to their
needs will be in for a long wait, causing
them to look for alternative ways to ac-
quire them. “Supply chain restraints have
resulted in extended order-to-delivery

vehicles and parts are digitally connected to each
other and to automakers. This allows for updates—
for instance to increase battery range, install map
updates or add customization options—to come by
air while cars are parked for the night. These con-
nectivity opportunities also allow business owners
to track their fleets and better predict the behavior
of their drivers and vehicles, minimizing downtime,
2
Momentum will continue
to build for EVs.
J.D. Power’s vice president of auto-
motive consulting, Tyson Jominy, predicts
electric vehicle sales will break 1 million
units in 2023. “Demand has materialized
along with a broader offering of EVs across
manufacturers and segments,” he says.
“But charging availability and uptime need
times that now average over 52 weeks for
an upfit vehicle,” says Brad Jacobs, vice
president of fleet consulting and product
development at Merchants Fleet. “This
trend has led companies to procure ve-
hicles from never-before-seen channels
including vehicle inventory pools, rentals
and rent-to-lease conversion offerings.”

5
to catch up fast to demand or else risk A new law will have
costs and emissions.
losing momentum and consumer trust.” automakers scrambling.
Designers are optimizing aerodynamics to Although final details are still being

improve fuel economy and create vehicles that
combine innovative design with engineering to
achieve optimal battery range. And new product
innovation isn’t limited to fuel economy and elec-
trification. Interiors feature less leather and more
recycled materials and natural products, like cash-
mere and wool, on key surfaces.
Even as Newsweek announces this year’s World’s
Greatest Auto Disruptors, competition is ramping
up for 2024’s honors. How the world’s automakers
handle the challenges of the coming months will
determine next year’s winners.
3
Online interactions
will get more personal.
Scheduling a test drive and financing
and purchasing a vehicle online rose in
popularity during the pandemic. Now,
“lenders and dealers are looking to expand
their relationships with car buyers and go
beyond the physical boundaries of auto
retail to meet consumers where they are,
online,” says Jessica Stafford, senior vice
president of consumer solutions at Cox
Automotive. “Additionally, the lines are be-
ing blurred with traditional channels for
auto financing with data science and pre-
worked out, the Inflation Reduction Act
modified the rules for which electric
vehicles qualify for tax credits, requiring
some components to be manufactured
and assembly to happen in the U.S. to get
the maximum credit. “We should contin-
ue to see an influx of domestic infrastruc-
ture announcements as automakers work
feverishly to localize supply chains and
EV assembly to adhere to new IRA rules,”
Waatti says. “Time is of the essence to get
these in order, as vehicles qualifying for
tax breaks will have a substantial market
advantage.” ▸ EilEEn FalkEnbErg-Hull

APRIL 14, 2023 NE WSWEEK .COM 23

One of the best-selling trucks in the world is getting a massive update and
a startup is planning a high-powered entry into the electric SUV market.
2024 Toyota Tacoma
TOYOTA WILL INTRODUCE
the next generation of its
DISRUPTIVE
Tacoma midsize pickup
truck soon. The fourth
generation 2024 Toyota Ta-
NEW
coma is a complete redesign
of the model. Its current
U.S. sales are more than
VEHICLES
double those of the next
competitor and now Toyota
is expected to be the first
BY _ EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL to offer a hybrid power-
24 NE WSWEEK .COM
train in a midsize pickup.
The truck’s squared
off rear corners link the
new Tacoma’s design to
the body styling of the
latest Tundra full-size
truck. The automaker has
confirmed that it will come
with Toyota’s i-Force Max
engine. In the Tundra, the
twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter
power plant produces
437 horsepower and 583
pound-feet of torque and
is paired with a 10-speed
automatic transmission.
2025 Lucid Gravity
LUCID WILL REVEAL ITS NEW
Gravity all-electric SUV in the
flesh in 2024, when it will join
the Air large luxury sedan
in the company’s lineup.
The company says the Grav-
ity “builds upon Lucid’s core
DNA of luxury, spaciousness,
performance and efficiency.”
FROM LE F T: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPOR ATION; LUCID MOTOR S
Lucid promises supercar level
performance and seating for
five, six or seven adults in a
two- or three-row configuration.
The Gravity willI come with
a next-generation, 34-inch
Glass Cockpit high-resolution
display, powered by the next
iterations of Lucid UX’s software.
It will also have a Glass Canopy,
a clear roof spanning almost
the entire length of the cabin.
Gravity will have a greater
electric battery range than any
other electric vehicle on the
market, except the Lucid Air.
APRIL 14, 2023
NE WSWEEK .COM 25
 BMW

Oliver Zipse CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT, BMW GROUP

OF
THE
YEAR NE WSWEEK .COM 27
 eing a visionary means taking
the yellow brick road in a world
of gravel, asphalt and cement,
and setting the course for oth-
ers to find the pathway ahead.
Seeing beyond the confines of
the world as it exists today, to
imagine the possibilities for the
future of the auto industry in terms of technology,
fuels, product and sustainability, is why Oliver Zipse,
Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
is Newsweek’s Auto Disruptors Visionary of the Year.
Zipse has spent his entire 30-plus-year career at
BMW AG, rising from his first job as a technical plan-
ning trainee to become chairman of the board in
2019. Spending his professional lifetime at the same
company, however, doesn’t mean that Zipse has
spent his four-year tenure as chairman working to
maintain the status quo. Quite the contrary, in fact.
In the rapidly evolving technology, powertrain
and design spaces, BMW AG’s brands (BMW, MINI,
BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce) stand out because
they are envisioning thrust and atmosphere in new
ways, seeking out budding solutions to decades-old
problems and doing it all without losing sight of
the singular identity of each brand.
At the heart of Zipse’s visionary leadership is the
company’s focus on sustainability. For BMW AG, this
comes in many forms, but centers around the idea
of circularity, where nothing goes to waste and ex-

COU NTE RCLOCK WI SE FROM TOP: DAN IEL K R AUS (2); BM W

isting materials and products are maintained, recy-
cled, repaired and shared for as long as possible. The
result is a reduction in used materials, a focus on
reuse after traditional application and recycling ef-
forts beyond the typical end of the product life cycle.
Zipse does not see the solution to less pollution
out of tailpipes as a one-size-fits-all scenario and
views hydrogen as a necessary piece of the puzzle.
This stands in direct contrast to Tesla boss Elon
Musk’s view that battery-electric vehicles are the
only viable path forward.
The BMW brand recently launched its iX5 Hy-
drogen SUV fleet after four years of development.
“Hydrogen is a versatile energy source that has a key ULTIMATE
role to play in the energy transition process and DRIVING MACHINES
Above: Two views of
therefore in climate protection,” Zipse said in the
the BMW 760i xDrive.
press release announcing the new model. “It is one Right: Zipse, behind
of the most efficient ways of storing and transporting the BMW wheel.
renewable energies. We should use this potential to
also accelerate the transformation of the mobility
sector. Hydrogen is the missing piece in the jigsaw
when it comes to emission-free mobility.”
Central to his vision driving BMW strategy: “One
technology on its own will not be enough to enable
climate-neutral mobility worldwide.”
Each of the company’s brands is translating

28 NE WSWEEK .COM APRIL 14, 2023

Zipse’s vision in a unique way, but all put the custom-
er and the environment first as they move forward.
MINI, for instance, has displayed unique takes
on space and the passenger environment—a dash-
board that can turn into a daybed, textiles made
from recycled materials, even a tree growing inside
its possibility-exploring concept cars. At the same
time, the brand continues its commitment to man-
ual transmission production models and increased
customization options for buyers. A preview of its
upcoming electric model is chrome and leather-free,
showing a commitment to the Group’s circularity
efforts, and the overarching goal of sustainability.
ONE TECHNOLOGY ON ITS
OWN WILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO
ENABLE CLIMATE-NEUTRAL
MOBILITY WORLDWIDE.”
push for unique design that calls for thou-
sands of hours of handiwork. Rolls-Royce con-
tinues to lead the industry in this regard, attracting
the likes of some of the world’s most prominent
businesspeople and entertainment industry leaders.
Across all the company’s brands, the digitization of
the user experience is an important, evolving concept.
“Digitalization changes what customers expect from a
car—and it has influenced the way we develop our ve-
hicles: It is, in a very integrated way. I strongly believe
that you cannot separate software from hardware de-
velopment as an original equipment manufacturer.
Otherwise, you won’t create a seamless digital expe-
rience. Because it’s the all-round impression for our
user that counts,” Zipse tells Newsweek.
Zipse’s biggest impact as a visionary in the in-
dustry isn’t a long stream of aspirational ideas. It’s
a long stream of aspirational ideas turned into
multi-pronged reality—rolled out into new mod-
els that provide innovative user experiences, make
vehicles more sustainable and provide a pathway
forward for new propellants, all while honoring
brand history. ▸ EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL

BMW’s concept cars, meanwhile, expand the

possibilities of what it means to own a vehicle of
the future. Case in point: the recently revealed
BMW i Vision Dee (Dee stands for “digital emo-
tional experience”), which the company de-
scribes as “the first BMW with a digital soul,” “a
vehicle with a voice, facial expressions, and true
personality. A car that’s more than a means of
transportation, but an ultimate companion.” It
features electronic color-change technology (you
can change the exterior color to suit your mood),
conversational abilities and pared-down design.
It’s considered a preview of what can be expect-
ed from BMW’s Neue Klasse, a new generation
of electrified vehicles, when they arrive in 2025.
In a business environment in which competitors
are pulling switches and paint colors from the com-
pany parts bin, the Rolls-Royce brand continues to
hit record production numbers while fulfilling big
asks from clients seeking a bespoke luxury experi-
ence. This year, the company will launch its new
Spectre electric car. It has just shown off its most
technically complex model to date, created in part-
nership with fashion designer Iris van Herpen.
Zipse has allowed the brand to thrive as its owners

NE WSWEEK .COM 29
 NORIAKI MITSUHA SHI/N-R AK PHOTO AGENCY
Akio Toyoda CHAIRMAN, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION

30 NE WSWEEK .COM
OF
THE
YEAR 31
 The besT execuTives don’T jusT zig when
everyone else zags, they know exactly the
right time to zig. That’s how the winner
of Newsweek’s Auto Disruptor Executive
of the Year Akio Toyoda earned this honor.
During his 13-year tenure as Toyota Mo-
tor Corporation’s president, Toyoda didn’t
always go with the auto-industry flow, in-
stead plotting a separate course for the
company that his grandfather founded—
one that has enabled Toyota, in a fast-changing,
challenging business environment, to retain its spot
as one of the world’s largest automakers.
While most of the world’s auto market is rushing
to electric vehicles, Toyoda, a car racer himself, put
his company’s mission forward as “no more boring
cars,” rather than battery-electric vehicles (BEVs)
first. He utilized the Toyota Racing Development
wing of the company to bring excitement to even
the traditionally humdrum Camry and Corolla se-
dans. He was also responsible for the Lexus Driving
Signature, a next-level research and development
standard meant to enhance performance, handling
and ride quality, further elevating the stable, spirit-
ed driving that modern Lexus vehicles allow.
“Toyota development engineers know my motto,”
Toyoda tells Newsweek. “I am there with them when
racing or on the test track, and they know I speak
their language, so they feel ready to bring their best
ideas to the table.”
He applies the same standard to electric vehicles
as to the rest of the company’s lineup. “We know
that BEVs can be exciting because of how they ac-
celerate,” says Toyoda, who announced earlier this
year that he would be retiring as president and
chief executive to become chairman of Toyota’s
board, a post he took up on April 1, following in
the footsteps of his father and grandfather. “Our
Lexus electrified vehicles are never boring to drive.” ON THE FAST TRACK
Under Toyoda’s leadership, Toyota also increased Below: A 2023 Toyota
Prius Prime charges up.
its sports car credibility with partnerships with Sub-
Right: Akio Toyoda, a
aru and BMW. The two-seat 86 sports car (now GR86) race car driver himself,
came as Toyota’s take on Subaru’s BRZ and the reintro- taking his place with
duction of the Supra coupe is the product of a part- the Toyota Racing team.
COU NTE RCLOCK WI SE FROM LE F T: TOYOTA M OTOR CORPOR ATION; N ORIAKI MITSUHA SHI/N-R AK PHOTO AGENCY (2)
nership with the German automaker. The sport-cen-
tric GR Yaris and GR Corolla push the boundaries of
what buyers can expect from Toyota even further, tak-
ing traditional low-cost commuter cars to a new level.
“For me, playing to win also means doing things
differently. Doing things that others may question,
but that we believe will put us in the winner’s circle
the longest,” Toyoda said at a dealership meeting in
October. “Just like the fully autonomous cars that
we are all supposed to be driving by now, EVs are
just going to take longer to become mainstream
than media would like us to believe.”
The focus on new driving capabilities didn’t re-
move Toyoda’s focus from fuel economy. In the past
25 years, Toyota has sold 22.5 million electrified hy-
brid vehicles, equivalent to a 7.5 million BEV reduc-
tion in emissions. Today, nearly one out of every four
vehicles the company sells in the U.S. is electrified.
Toyoda has likened Toyota to a department store
with a wide range of powertrains to please the widest
range of customers. That array will include hydrogen
fuel cell, hybrid, gasoline and 30 BEVs by 2030.
Planning to sell fuel cell vehicles, offering up gaso-
line, hybrid and BEVs next to each other on dealer lots
and saying those plans proudly is a disruptive pattern
of behavior that doesn’t just stand out in contrast to
promises by the company’s biggest competitors, it’s
an acknowledgement of what most of the public

“In retrospect these 13 years have been a period of

WE ARE ON A JOURNEY—
FOCUSED ON THE CUSTOMER AND
ON MARKET CONDITIONS IN OVER
170 COUNTRIES AND REGIONS.”
knows, and most executives whisper when you get
them alone—the world isn’t ready to go all-electric.
Planning for the future isn’t just about fuel. Under
Toyoda’s watch, Toyota greenlighted Woven City, a
mobility and engineering lab thinly disguised as a
live-work-play area, built on the grounds of one of
the company’s old factories in Japan. Toyoda has run
Toyota during one of its most challenging periods.
He came on board during the Great Recession and
is transitioning the company through the electrifica-
tion era on the eve of an emissions-free future.
struggling to survive one day after the next,” Toyo-
da said in January. “I believe that in times of crisis
two paths appear before us. One is a path of short-
term success or quick victory. The other is a path
that leads back to the essential qualities and philos-
ophies that gave us strength. I chose the latter.”
“We are on a journey—focused on the customer
and on market conditions in over 170 countries
and regions. That’s why we have a balanced multi-
path approach,” he tells Newsweek.
“All of us are on a journey toward the unknown.
We know that reducing as many emissions as possi-
ble as fast as possible means acting today with flex-
ibility for customers today and tomorrow—and
beyond,” Toyoda says. “The world will not suddenly
jump from the present to the future. The future
will be created by accumulating past, present and
future, from low emission to zero carbon emission
choices.” ▸ JAKE LINGEMAN

APRIL 14, 2023 NE WSWEEK .COM 33

 Ford Pro FORD MOTOR COMPANY FORD MOTOR COMPANY’S TRUCKS AND
vans are getting more intelligent thanks

TECHNOLOGY
to Ford Pro’s technological tools. The
software has been in existence for
more than a year, but it has begun
to make a major impact this year as
more E-Transit electric vans reach
customers, the launch of the revised
FORD M OTOR COM PAN Y (3 )

ROLLOUT
Super Duty truck line and a ramp up
in deliveries of the F-150 Lightning.
Ford Pro offers an all-in-one solution
for businesses, transforming the way
companies do their work and more cohe-
sively linking data to vehicle ownership

OF
and corporate management. The Ford Pro

34 NE WSWEEK .COM
THE YEAR APRIL 14, 2023

brand encompasses five areas: software,
service, charging, financing and vehicles.
Ford Pro Intelligence software is a
digital suite of solutions designed to help
make businesses run more efficiently,
potentially cutting the cost of vehicle
ownership by as much as 20 percent.
FORD PRO’S The company doesn’t require users to
be Ford vehicle owners; the software
BEST FEATURE can work with any make or model. Ford
IS THAT ITS Pro Charging solutions help businesses
plan for electric vehicle implementa-
TECHNOLOGY tion, advising on depot, public and
home charging options and finding the
IS SCALABLE.” best charging practices to limit down-
CONNECTED
Opposite top: Ford
Pro’s VIIZR field
service management
software. Bottom: Fords
charging. This page:
Using software with
the 2023 Super Duty.
time and costs. Ford Pro FinSimple is
a flexible one-stop commercial financ-
ing solution that offers lines of credit,
billing and leasing options. The F-150
Lightning, E-Transit, Super Duty, Transit
Connect van and Ranger and Maverick
trucks are available to Ford Pro cus-
tomers. Specialty vehicles like school
buses, Ford SUVs and cars and Lincoln
models can also be added to the fleet.
Ford Pro’s best feature is that its tech-
nology is scalable. It can help whether you
are a small business owner with a modest
fleet or a corporation with hundreds of
vehicles. ▸ EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL
NE WSWEEK .COM 35
 Genesis

SOFT SELL Genesis House in New

York City’s Meatpacking District
is a place where visitors can do a
variety of things–including check
out the brand’s latest models.

36 NE WSWEEK .COM APRIL 14, 2023

 OF
THE YEAR
GE NE SI S HOUSE

NE WSWEEK .COM 37
 enesis House, a 46,000-square-foot
space, in New York City’s Meatpack-
ing District is not just an auto show-
room. It’s also a place to experience
Korean culture and food or take in a
fashion show. The three-floor loca-
tion features a restaurant, tea pavilion,
showroom, stage, library and garden, all of which
can be enjoyed whether you are a Genesis owner
or not. And it is the reason Genesis is the winner
of this year’s Marketing Strategy of the Year honors.
Fashion is often featured at Genesis House. Last
August, the company partnered with New York
City-based label MONSE for the “Make Your Mark”
event featuring the new Genesis G90. Vogue fea-
tured Genesis House in its September and October
issues. During New York Fashion Week in Septem-
ber, designer Peter Do debuted his “Foundation”
collection on a colorful catwalk at Genesis House.
38 NE WSWEEK .COM
Over the 2022 holiday season, Genesis House
connected with Friends of the High Line, a non-
profit, to create a winter lights installation in the
nearby elevated park, taking inspiration from the
electricity-producing capability of Genesis vehicles.
Claudia Marquez, chief operating officer of
Genesis Motor North America, says, “At Genesis
House, everyone is welcomed as son-nim, our
honored guests. Visitors immerse themselves in
the brand as they peruse our showroom or enjoy
a cup of tea while discovering a new book. One
OPTIONS
of the highlights is the restaurant, with a menu
Clockwise from top curated by Onjium, one of Korea’s most respect-
left: Genesis House’s ed cultural institutions, and inspired by Korean
Cellar Stage; its library royal cuisine.
where tea and coffee
“The first year of Genesis House has been filled
are served; suranchae,
a Korean seafood dish;
with many amazing memories. We are proud to be
and the Genesis House celebrating a year within this vibrant community
restaurant dining room. and look forward to the future.” ▸ JAKE LINGEMAN
GE NE SI S HOUSE (5 )
APRIL 14, 2023
MORE THAN JUST AN AUTO SHOWROOM “At Genesis House, everyone is honored as son-nim, our honored guests.”
DONCKERWOLKE BEGAN AT
HYUNDAI DESIGNING THE POPULAR
PALISADE AND KONA SUVS AND
ADDING FLAIR TO THE SONATA.”
 OF THE YEAR
Luc Donckerwolke CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT, HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP

DESIGNER LUC DONCKERWOLKE IS SOME-

thing of a design oracle for Hyundai
Motor Group, pushing beyond traditional
boundaries and setting the brand’s
designs far apart from the crowd in ways
that delight customers. He joined the
Korean automaker in 2015, after stops
at Peugeot and the Volkswagen Group,
where he had designed showstoppers like
the Lamborghini Diablo and the Bentley
EXP 10 Speed Six concept. He took the
chief creative officer job in 2020 and
was named president of HMG in 2022.
Donckerwolke began at Hyundai
designing the popular Palisade and Kona
SUVs and adding flair to the Sonata. Later
he and his team designed the new luxury
Genesis GV80 SUV and redesigned the
G80 and G90 sedans, using the compa-
ny’s “Athletic Elegance” design language.
He reached new heights over the past
few years with jaw-dropping concepts,
giving each model its own unique style.
His team is responsible for the sleek
CLOCK WI SE FROM LE F T: LEON GRE IN ER /LEROT; HYAN DA I M OTOR G RO UP (2)

X concept trilogy, the X Convertible, X

Concept and X Speedium Coupe. Don-
ckerwolke says the concepts are “a
look into our processes as we explore
ideas for the next wave of EVs, one that
incorporates Genesis’ DNA.” The Gene-
sis X Convertible was so well-received
that it is now slated for production.
Donckerwolke also was responsible for
the Hyundai 45 EV concept, which evolved
into the production Ioniq 5. That retro/
modern theme carried over into his team’s
Hyundai Pony concept in 2021, and the
retro concept spawned another modern
design in the Hyundai N Vision 74 concept.
Customers are buying what Donck-
erwolke is selling. Hyundai moved more
than 700,000 vehicles last year and
Genesis and Kia are each coming off their DESIGN ORACLE Top: Hyundai’s Donckerwolke at work. Bottom: The Genesis X Convertible
best sales years ever. ▸ JAKE LINGEMAN concept car. Donckerwolke says the X concept cars “provide a look into our processes.”

APRIL 14, 2023 NE WSWEEK .COM 41

42 NE WSWEEK .COM APRIL 14, 2023
 GOING GREEN
The Lamborghini Urus.
Body shells for the
SUVs are delivered
by rail—not truck—to
help reduce the
company’s emissions.
L A MBORG HINI

OF
THE YEAR
 t its headquarters in sant’agata
Bolognese, Italy, Lamborghini has
implemented a multi-pronged strat-
egy to work more cleanly and sup-
port environmental research. The
company’s “Direzione Cor Tauri”
plan is driven by the largest investment in Lambo-
rghini history, €1.5 billion over four years.
Under fields next to Lamborghini’s certified
carbon-neutral manufacturing base is a pipeline
that pushes biomethane gas to the facility. This year
the pipeline will supply 50 percent of the power
for Lamborghini’s manufacturing operations, re-
placing natural gas. Two biomethane trigeneration
plants produce electricity, heat and cooling that
will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by up
to 80 percent or 11,400 tons per year.
Other sustainability efforts are underway at the
manufacturing site. Solar panels absorb energy
and provide shade for holding areas. Ninety-five
percent of the paint used inside the shop is water
based and comes in recyclable cardboard con-
tainers. Cars are produced in Class A sustainable
buildings, which have low-energy consumption
and maintenance costs. Lamborghini has also
transitioned to delivering Urus SUV body shells by
rail instead of truck, reducing transportation emis-
sions by 85 percent. Leather and carbon fiber left
over from the manufacturing process are upcycled
into consumer goods like wallets and bracelets.
L A MBORGHINI (6); G UINDA NI STEFAN O SG P; UM BE RTO G UIZ ZAR DI; LUC A LOC ATELLI

The company also supports Parco Lamborghi-

ni, a site near its home campus with 10,000 oak
trees whose growth and contribution to the envi-
ronment is being tracked by local university re-
searchers. The park is also home to a bio-monitor-
ing project with 13 hives filled with 600,000 bees.
Their honey is highly sought after by company
employees. ▸ EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL

CARBON NEUTRAL Clockwise from top

left: Solar panels and new models at
Lamborghini headquarters; oak trees at Parco
Lamborghini; the Lamborghini Countach;
organic fuel for the company’s biomethane
plants; bees at Parco Lamborghini; stitching
interior leather; Lamborghini’s paint shop;
and fiber collected for recycling. Center: CEO
Stephan Winkelmann with the Urus SUV.

44 NE WSWEEK .COM
 Lucid Motors
more important than in electric vehicle pow-
ertrains. Every gram that can be removed
means more range and less charging time.
The electric motors in Lucid’s Air sedan
can deliver up to 1,200 horsepower. A
single 67-pound motor provides up to
670 horsepower. The sedan’s stator, the
part of the motor that stays stationary,
produces a denser magnetic field than
competitors’ using a new type of square-
bar winding. That allows for smaller
permanent magnets and more power than
a Tesla Model 3 motor in a package that
is 30 percent smaller. It can be assembled
46 NE WSWEEK .COM
OF THE YEAR
also found a new way to add more oil cool-
ing between windings to make the motor
more efficient. The motor is simpler than
the power units from General Motors with
fewer solder points and chances of failure.
Lucid’s battery is the other half of the
powertrain equation. Its Air Dream Edition
sedan has an Environmental Protection
Agency-rated range of 520 miles on a sin-
LUCID MOTOR S (2)
gle charge. It’s also one of the few systems
that can charge at the 350-kilowatt rate
some DC fast chargers offer. At its fastest,
it can regain 200 miles worth of charge
in about 12 minutes. ▸ JAKE LINGEMAN
 EVERY GRAM THAT CAN
BE REMOVED MEANS
MORE RANGE AND LESS
CHARGING TIME.”

APRIL 14, 2023 NE WSWEEK .COM 47

 IT’S THE ALL-ROUND IMPRESSION FOR OUR USER THAT COUNTS.”

48 NE WSWEEK .COM
 “THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE” WAS
BMW’s tagline through the ’80s and
’90s, as it focused on building manual
transmission sports sedans and rowdy
two-seat roadsters well into the era
when SUVs became popular. It remains
the company’s tagline in the U.S. today.
It takes a focused engineering effort
BMW to keep the idea behind that motto at
the forefront of research and develop-
ment in the era of quiet electric motors
RESEARCH &
and driver assistance technology. BMW
has managed to do that with a range of
electrified products that stimulate the
senses, from the exceptionally quick and
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
OF
THE YEAR
CLOCK WI SE FROM LE F T: FA BIA N K IRCHBAUE R ; BMW (2 ); DA NIE L KR AUS (2)
ULTIMATE Opposite: The 2023 i4 eDrive35. This page, clockwise from top left: Brainstorming; 7 Series interior; researching; and 7 Series exterior.
APRIL 14, 2023
sharp handling i4 sedan to the sizable
(but not thunderous) iX electric SUV
to the new high-end luxury i7 sedan.
CEO and Newsweek Auto Disruptors
Visionary of the Year Oliver Zipse un-
derstands digitalization changes what
customers expect from a car. If software
and hardware development don’t happen
together, he says, “You won’t create a
seamless digital experience. It’s the all-
round impression for our user that counts.”
While the acceleration of its old cars
is easily matched by electric motors,
BMW’s battery electric vehicles come
with customizable digital acceleration
sounds, adding a futuristic score to the
futuristic propulsion. They also have a
lower center of gravity, a hallmark of EVs,
but unlike other luxury automakers, BMW
doesn’t sacrifice the brand’s charac-
teristic sportiness. ▸ JAKE LINGEMAN
NE WSWEEK .COM 49
Torsten Müller-Ötvös CEO, ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS TORSTEN MÜLLER-ÖTVÖS HAS SPENT
almost 30 years at BMW Group and
during much of that time he has led
the charge revitalizing not one, but two
heralded brands, MINI and Rolls-Royce.
He was the director of MINI when
it was re-launched globally in 2001.
Most recently, Müller-Ötvös has been
at the helm of Rolls-Royce, elevating
it from an afterthought with a storied

OF history to a choice of the world’s elite.

That progress has been measured and
all-encompassing, resulting in a 500-per-
cent sales jump during his tenure.
“We’ve succeeded because we listen
and consistently evolve our products
in line with our clients’ tastes and
requirements, consciously rejuvenating
our brand while retaining our innate
exclusivity and rarity,” Müller-Ötvös
tells Newsweek. “I believe perfection is
an ever-moving target. It is not finite

50 NE WSWEEK .COM APRIL 14, 2023

 SUPER EXCLUSIVE Opposite: Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. Above: Müller-Ötvös (right) unveiling a custom Coachbuild Rolls.
or fixed. There is no point at which
you can say you have fully achieved
it; there is always something you can
refine or reimagine. And so, our work
as designers, engineers and crafts-
people is never done, and that’s what
makes Rolls-Royce such a unique,
enthralling and inspiring place to be.”
I BELIEVE Müller-Ötvös has overseen the launch
of new generations of Phantom and
PERFECTION Ghost sedans, and the introduction of
IS AN EVER- the Wraith coupe, Dawn convertible, Culli-
nan SUV. Wraith has since been replaced
MOVING by Spectre, an all-electric, ultra-luxury
ROLL S-ROYCE MOTOR C A R S (2)
coupe. The bespoke automaker’s Black
TARGET. Badge model program, which focuses
on performance and darker aesthet-
IT IS NOT ics, has brought in younger buyers.
Alongside vehicle launches, the
FINITE OR automaker has been busy in the last
FIXED.” three years focusing on digital commu-
nications, graphics, a new visual identity
for its stores and a modern remake
of its iconic Spirit of Ecstasy emblem.
Whispers, the company’s exclusive
smartphone and tablet app, allows Rolls-
Royce owners to curate unique experi-
ences appropriate for their lifestyle.
Rolls-Royce is growing its presence
in key markets with the introduction of
Private Offices, which offer a customized
Rolls-Royce experience in major luxu-
ry capitals of the world. Each features
Bespoke commissioning, access to
one-of-one designs and super-exclusive
custom Coachbuild services. Coachbuild
one-off Boat Tail models are priced
at tens of millions of dollars apiece.
When Müller-Ötvös leaves the helm
of Rolls-Royce, his legacy will be a
transformative impact on one of the
world’s most respected and desired
brands, made even more so by his
leadership. ▸ EILEEN FALKENBERG-HULL
NE WSWEEK .COM 51

India
The world’s largest democracy summits economic stardom
A
s major economies worldwide wrestle with
sluggish growth, India has taken up the
mantle of global economic leadership.
Underlined by low-cost production, government
incentives, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
ambition to transform the country into a USD 5
trillion economy by 2025, India is now a keystone
in the global business community’s diversification
beyond China – known as the ‘China-plus-
one’ strategy. The government’s Productive
Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and ‘Made in
India’ initiative have reaped record-breaking
foreign investment figures. Since Modi debuted
‘Made in India’ back in September 2014, India’s
annual FDI inflows have almost doubled and
reached a record-breaking USD 83.57 billion in
FY21-22, according to the country’s Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, with the computer software
and hardware industry the top beneficiary.
“I foresee that India will march ahead
phenomenally in this decade, which is hailed as
the tech-age of humanity… In the field of IT, India
has become a force to reckon with globally,” said
Modi in a speech commemorating 75 years since
India’s independence. Bloomberg Economics
predicts India’s GDP growth to gradually peak
at about 8.5% early next decade, spurred by
corporate tax cuts, manufacturing incentives,
and the privatisation of public assets. But even at
6.5%, India’s economy will be worth USD 10 trillion
Gravita India - Taking the lead in India’s global recycling effort
I
ndia will be the second-fastest growing economy
in the G20 in FY22-23, according to the OECD,
and continues to be a magnet for international
investment and trade. With policy initiatives like
the ‘Make in India’ campaign and India’s recent
trade agreements, the country aims to further
integrate with global supply chains and build
on its continuously improving external position.
As other emerging economies strive for rapid
industrialization, the key themes for businesses
in the coming decade will include advocating the
importance of sustainability, stressing the urgent need
to tackle the challenges of climate change, enhanced
awareness of the circular economy, and investment
in the advancement of recycling technology. The
focus of world governments on ESG places the
recycling industry in an envious and exciting position.
Gravita India Limited is an Indian-listed
multinational company and is one of the leading
players in the recycling industry globally. Gravita
operates 14 eco-conscious, state-of-the-art
manufacturing facilities and has a well-diversified and
global customer base spanning over 50 countries,
supported by a procurement network spread
across the globe comprising 1,400-plus touchpoints
and over 2,500 forward-looking employees.
Gravita was incorporated in 1992 and set up its
first lead recycling plant in Jaipur, India. Gravita has
since achieved a steep growth trajectory, especially
in Africa, where it operates five manufacturing
facilities and 24 scrap collection yards that
recycle Lead, Aluminum, Plastic, and Rubber.
Besides Africa, the group has manufacturing
Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
by 2035, according to the Centre for Economics
and Business Research (CEBR). Hence, as Modi
declared in his 2023 Global Business Summit
speech, “India’s growth is the world’s growth.”
Modi is not alone in recognising India’s global
leadership, as the country assumed the G20
presidency in December 2022 and is set to host
the 18th G20 summit in New Delhi later this
year with the motto Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam –
‘The World Is One Family.’ The G20 represents
about 85% of the world’s GDP and more than
Rajat Agrawal
Managing Director
presence in India, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.
“We took India global – 70% of our business is
transacted overseas. We’re highly experienced
in working in diverse territories, regulatory
environments, and different industries. Today, the
Group is well-diversified in terms of geography and
business verticals. While our recycling businesses
continue to grow rapidly, we are experiencing
strong tailwinds in our turnkey solutions business,
given the interest in recycling and the circular
Content from
The International Investor
75% of global trade. But, more importantly, the
summit represents an unprecedented opportunity
for India to promote its agenda for collective
prosperity: green development, inclusive and
resilient growth, technological transformation
and digital literacy, modern multilateral
institutions, and women-led development.
Ultimately, India is expected to use the G20
spotlight to exhibit its soft power and capacity to
accommodate global diversification beyond China.
India’s G20 presidency also reflects the
historic transformation that Modi’s government
has successfully ushered in. Between 2005-21,
the number of people living in poverty in India
dropped by a staggering 415 million, according
to the United Nations Development Programme,
and more than 1 billion Indian adults have enrolled
in the country’s ground-breaking biometric digital
ID system, with several hundred million opening
a bank account for the first time and accessing
Modi’s welfare measures. So, whilst India will
soon overtake China as the world’s most populous
country, according to United Nations figures, sheer
size will not be its sole victory. “Above all, India’s
population is also growing in terms of income level,
which has transformed it into a country where
there’s a massive population now able to spend like
never before. Where there is that power, there is
demand – the market has never been bigger,” says
HFCL’s managing director, Mahendra Nahata.
economy from around the world,” says Gravita
India’s managing director, Rajat Agrawal.
Gravita is on an ambitious expansion spree and
plans to enter the lucrative rubber, paper, steel, lithium
& lithium-ion battery recycling. “Our core competency
is providing turnkey solutions and consultancy
for the recycling industry and as the market
matures for recycling, we seek strategic partners
to enhance our recycling DNA.” says Agrawal.
A one-stop recycling solutions provider,
Gravita’s emphasis on corporate governance and
sustainability-focused culture make it the ideal
global recycling partner. Half of Gravita’s Board
of Directors are independent, whilst the company
is leveraging its core R&D strengths to execute a
bold ESG plan. Gravita tracks the environmental
impact of its operations and is extensively invested
in energy conservation, exploring alternative
sources of energy, and reducing its carbon footprint.
Gravita is listed on India’s biggest stock exchanges,
the BSE and the NSE, and continues to grow rapidly. In
2021-22, Gravita registered a five-year revenue CAGR
of 26%, and PAT CAGR of 34%, and the company
boasts over a decade of sustained dividend payouts.
As India scales up its environmental effort,
companies like Gravita are at the forefront of
the circular economy and enjoy overwhelming
government support. “Our government is listening
to us and understands the significance of our
industry – it’s a real sweet spot for us, given the
government’s emphasis on ESG,” says Agrawal.
 Content from
The International Investor

THE DR. DEEPAK KUMAR SETH GROUP

CONNECTING THE WORLD- STITCH BY STITCH
From packing his first order of 6000 shirts in a garage to styling and clothing the world, Dr. Deepak
Kumar Seth has had a fascinating journey as a self-made entrepreneur. Dr. Seth started in garments
in 1976 when he was only 26 years old and is regarded as a pioneer of apparel manufacturing in India.
Today Dr. Seth is the founder and Group Chairman of four renowned apparel manufacturing, sourcing, and training groups
operating in over 20 countries: PDS, Pearl Global Industries, Lerros Moden, and Pearl Academy of Fashions. All these companies
are operated autonomously with their respective independent Boards of Directors and professional management teams.
Early on, Dr. Seth identified the potential of the Far East region to be a major hub for the global garment industry and established
business units to provide ‘one-stop’ manufacturing and sourcing solutions to best-in-class retailer and brands across the globe.
Making a mark in manufacturing development teams across the USA, the UK,
In 1987, Dr. Seth founded Pearl Global Industries Germany, and Hong Kong, amongst other customer
(PGIL), a ready-to-wear business supplying leading locations. PDS employs a research team of over 150
apparel retailers worldwide. Today, PGIL operates a designers to ensure all products align with the latest
global network of more than 20 manufacturing facilities in trends in fashion and apparel, as well as experts in
India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia, specialising merchandising, procurement, and quality control to
in high-quality bulk output, employing 32,000, and deliver 100% compliance across the entire value chain.
generating annual revenues in excess of USD 400 million. Brands and retailers are increasingly focusing on their
Under the leadership of PGIL’s vice-chairman, Pulkit core business to drive earnings and are opting to outsource
Seth, the company is pursuing its next phase of growth, to meet their sourcing needs. Pallak Seth spotted this
leveraging its multinational presence to scale up and opportunity and crafted ‘Sourcing as a Service’ –a bespoke
react faster than its global peers whilst mitigating its service offering to large brands and retailers exploring
risk exposure. PGIL has recently added nearshore outsourcing options exclusive to pre-agreed territories.
manufacturing and additional production capabilities in the This customised sourcing solution is operational with
USA to its portfolio, continuing to fulfil Dr. Seth’s vision for it marquee customers like Hanes Brands in the USA, George
to be the preferred global apparel manufacturing company. at Asda in the UK and s.Oliver in Germany to name a few.
PGIL’s diversified product offering and talented team of Besides sourcing from its partner factories, the company
75 designers across the USA, the UK, and Spain ensures on- has three manufacturing facilities - two in Bangladesh
trend collections and a product available for rapid delivery and one in Sri Lanka. In January 2022, PDS installed a
in multiple time zones. The company’s factories in India state-of-the-art Washing Plant in one of its Bangladeshi
specialize in woven and knit products for womenswear, factories, further enhancing its sustainable profile,
menswear, and childrenswear, whilst those in Bangladesh funded by the Netherlands-based Good Fashion Fund.
specialize in sustainably washed and processed denim Sustainability and circularity lie at the core of PDS in
pants knitted tops. In Vietnam the company manufactures nurturing scalable innovations and shaping the industry’s
outwear, athleticwear and swimwear. In Indonesia, future. Through its venture investment division - PDS
it focuses on women’s tops, dresses and outerwear. Venture Tech – PDS makes early-stage investments,
As a testament to PGIL’s exceptional customer service, either directly or via collaborations, to foster the
4 out of 5 of its top customer relationships are older than development of agile solutions for the future. Investing in
a decade and even more. “The beauty of our business opportunities that are in sync with its focus areas helps
Pulkit Seth Dr. Deepak Kumar Seth Pallak Seth
is its entrepreneur model – our success has enabled us Vice-Chairman of PGIL Group Chairman Vice-Chairman of PDS Ltd.
future-proof its enterprise and create value for the long-
to attract the best talent from across the world, including term. Some of these partners include True Global and
from our competition and our associates in the market,” of the world’s leading brands and retailers, including Apex Black in the UK and Yellow Octopus in Poland.
says Dr. Seth. Currently, PGIL is open to partnering Ralph Lauren, Kohl’s and Primark. Helmed by Dr. Building Lerros Moden
with processing businesses – whether in the form of joint Seth as Chairman and Pallak Seth as Vice-Chairman, Lerros, incorporated in Germany in 1983, designs,
ventures or backward integration for processing, weaving, PDS offers world-renowned product development, manufactures and distributes a range of men’s casual
knitting and spinning– that can add value to its supply chain. sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution, synergising clothing and accessories in the mid-price segment under
Technology and sustainability forms an integral best-in-class talent to bring better collaboration the name LERROS. Apart from the core market in Germany,
part of the seamless manufacturing process at PGIL. across its global apparel supply chain platform. LERROS distributes to almost all major European countries,
Protecting environment, recycling all forms of wastes PDS operates a vast global network covering over including over 1,000 shops and department stores.
and to minimize carbon footprint is getting increased 50 offices and 22 countries, with over 3,500 employees Pearl Academy of Fashions (PAF) & Creative
mindshare in all its daily decisions and activities. It is and approximately 7,600 factory associates worldwide. Arts Education Society (CAES)
working diligently to ensure each of its produced garments Much of PDS’ recent success is due to how well it has Dr. Seth founded PAF in 1993 to promote
have traceability information embedded. PGIL continues embraced emerging market trends within the global professional education in fashion design. PAF is a
to upgrade with various automation, digitization, and de- fashion industry, which it owes to its experienced leading educational institute in India, spread across
skilling the factory operations, thus ensuring that they entrepreneurs, steady growth in new retail clients, and 4 campuses with approximately 5,000 students
are scalable. Thus ensuring it meets the demand and expanded product range. In the past 12 months, PDS training for employment in the apparel industry. CAES
timeline requirements. PGIL’s skilled workforce comprises reported consolidated revenues of USD 1.3 billion, an was formed to impart quality education to young
industrial engineers, factory associates, compliance increase by 2X in the last five years. PDS has been children and established a school named Little Pearl.
personnel, designer, and product developers along with listed on the BSE and the NSE since 2014 and aspires Giving back and building a self-reliant
management and analytic teams. They are working on to reach USD 2.5 billion in revenue in the next 4-5 years. Community.
updated technologies of 3D software like Clo, Browzwear, An intrinsically asset-light business, PDS is From the outset, Dr. Seth has instilled a strong CSR
Optitex, eDesigner, believes in the concepts of industry a plug-and-play platform comprising a league of culture within the businesses he has created. Now, with
4.0 in its factories which are well integrated with the SAP entrepreneurs who run their businesses on the platform. his two sons managing PGIL and PDS, his time is spent
ERP system. Each of its wash product developments As collaborators, individuals aspiring to start their running the various charitable organisations he set up,
are design to achieve low EIM (Environment Impact) entrepreneurial journey have become integral to PDS’ including Arpan – which offers free tuition to underprivileged
score using much lesser water and chemicals. unique business, leveraging the PDS brand name and children in India and Bangladesh between 7-12 years
PGIL is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) shared resources. Together, both parties meet their – and Meena Seth Clinic – which gives free medical aid
and the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and goal of providing innovative fashion solutions to global and healthcare to those in need. “I’ve got a school where,
has won numerous accolades from industry councils. customers and partners in the most ethical and trusted when it’s empty in the afternoon, we use the classrooms to
Recently, PGIL won the Most Preferred Workplace way. In 2022-23, PDS’ India and Sri Lanka subsidiary provide free education for kids from poorer communities.
2022-23 by Marksmen Daily and India Today and The Norlanka was certified as a ‘Great Place To Work,’ I’m also supporting retirement homes, leprosy initiatives,
Best Organisation for Women 2022 by Economic Times. exemplifying the company’s people-first approach and and some cancer foundations,” says Dr. Seth.
An Innovative Asset-Light Sourcing Model values of trust, transparency, inclusivity, and respect.
Founded in 1999 in Hong Kong, PDS has emerged PDS has a network of 600+ compliant vendor
as an asset-light global sourcing platform for over 200 manufacturing facilities worldwide and product
 Content from
The International Investor

Sutlej Textiles & Industries

India’s leading manufacturer of value-added and speciality spun yarns
According to the World Bank’s latest projections, India’s economy will grow by 6.1% in
2023 and 6.8% in 2024, owing to robust private consumption, high domestic demand,
and continued government fiscal support. Moreover, highlighting the global importance of
secure supply chains, Deloitte attributes a healthy rise in FDI in H1 FY22 which will lead to
increase in confidence amongst international investors to invest in India, stating that India
“presents huge potential and opportunities as an export hub and investment destination.”

I
ndia is one of the world’s largest producers
of cotton, textiles, and apparel, with its textile
industry accounting for approximately 2% of
its GDP and 4% of the global textile trade. India’s
exports of textiles and apparel are expected
to reach USD 100B in the next five years at a
CAGR of 11%, according to the national agency
Invest India. And with government initiatives
like “Make in India” promoting investment
and boosting employment generation – such
as through the seven textile Mega Parks
planned in greenfield and brownfield sites – the
industry is set to double in size by 2025-26.
A family-owned business stretching back to
1934, Sutlej Textiles & Industries Limited is
one of the largest manufacturers of spun-dyed
yarn in Asia and India’s leading manufacturer
of value-added and specialty yarns. Sutlej
operates five production units and acts as a one-
stop textile solutions provider in their product
segment for a global customer base spanning
65 countries, including the USA, the UK,
Italy, Portugal, South Africa, and Bangladesh.
“My grandfather built the modern foundations
for Sutlej’s growth, setting up a production unit
which today has become the largest dyed yarn-
spinning plant in India at a single location. In
total, since I joined Sutlej in 1995, we have
grown our capacity to over 420,000 spindles
from 80,000,” says Sutlej Textiles & Industries’
Chairman and K. K. BIRLA GROUP’s co-
chairman, Mr. Chandra Shekhar Nopany. Going
forward, Sutlej’s long-term focus on product
development and manufacturing efficiency,
coupled with its renewed financial discipline
and massive debt reduction, has positioned
it ideally to take advantage of the world’s
growing demand for Indian textile products.
As a testament to its financial solidity, Sutlej
has recently undertaken setting up of a new
production unit housing 90,000 spindles –
increasing its production capacity by 20% –
which the company estimates will lead to top-
line growth of 25-30% in the next few years. The
majority of Sutlej’s textile production comprises
cotton melange yarns and dyed man-made
fibre yarns, but the company is also a strong
player in the USA’s home furnishing textiles
market, where it hopes to extend its philosophy
of growing the market for niche products as
opposed to merely addressing existing demand.
Sutlej’s upholstery and curtain fabrics are
benchmarked to international quality standards
and are the hallmark of consistency and value.
Chandra Shekhar Nopany
Chairman
With a combination of in-house designs and
artworks sourced from reputed furnishing
design studios from fashion centres around the
world, its premium propositions for consumers
hold a prominent position in the domestic
market and commands a strong export call too.
Sutlej launched its range of Home Décor
products with a premium, superior design
proposition to the consumer. Sutlej launched
“Nesterra” as a premium home furnishings
brand in the upholstery and drapery segment
and is the company’s first ever brand extension
focusing on a consumer-first approach that
draws inspiration from nature’s abode. Nesterra
believes in bringing to life aesthetic living spaces
brimming with nature, colour and personality.
More recently, in 2017, Sutlej acquired
American Silk Mills (ASM), established in 1896
and based in Plains, Pennsylvania, reaffirming
its enviable access to USA’s home furnishing
market – estimated to be worth USD 202B in
2024, according to Statista. Sutlej launched
its own brand, ASM Loft, in the USA to supply
premium upholstery and curtain fabrics using
state-of-the-art design software and European
manufacturing equipment. Today, Sutlej employs
a design team in India and the USA, working
in synergy with customers and developing
designs in collaboration with European studios
to provide contemporary styles at competitive
prices. “India is advantageously placed at the
moment: able to deliver the product at the right
time, of a good quality, and at an attractive
cost,” says Mr. Chandra Shekhar Nopany.
Sutlej is open to greenfield ventures
and strategic investments, joint ventures,
and partnerships to deepen its presence in
international markets and foster its global
identity. Although traditionally focused on
the USA and Europe – mainly the UK – Sutlej
boasts an exceptional track record of working
with customers and developing products
with partners in Latin America and Africa.
Sutlej’s ability to rapidly source high-quality
products at competitive prices constitutes a
unique value proposition. Still, for Mr. Chandra
Shekhar Nopany, Sutlej’s most valuable asset
lies in its end-to-end approach and focus
on people. “We understand that you have to
work together with your buyers. We interact
with our customers and clients in ‘the old-
fashioned way’ with an endeavor to meet their
present needs and also to understand and
fulfill their needs through our product and
service offering. We have our own design
rooms, send them samples, and showcase
at textile fairs. Meeting in person is essential
in this industry because you have to feel the
textiles,” says Mr. Chandra Shekhar Nopany.
As India’s textile industry continues to flourish,
Sutlej’s belief in transparency-based corporate
governance, professional management, and
strong community values makes it the ideal
industry ambassador. Sutlej aims to build
lasting social capital in every community it
works with – through social welfare initiatives
and infrastructure investments touching the
lives of the local communities it operates
in.. Equally, Sutlej is the perfect match for
international companies looking to greenify their
value chains and meet the global sustainability
challenge. Sutlej uses eco friendly dyes and
pigments, sustainable fibres including organic
cotton, and major quantity of the polyester
fibre used for spinning in all its factories
comes from its own Green Fibre manufacturing
facility which makes polyester fibre by
recycling about 2.5 Bn PET bottles annually.

Vardhman Group - A Vertically-Integrated Textile Champion
E
ight years after the launch of the high-
profile Make In India programme,
India’s merchandise trade crossed the
$1trn mark in 21-22, with exports reaching
$409bn i.e. 30% up compared from 2019-20.
The textile industry accounts for more
than 10% of India’s exports, playing a
central role in the country’s growth story.
Vardhman Group, as the largest
vertically-integrated textile manufacturer in
the country, is at the heart of this thriving
sector’s success, exporting to 75 countries.
“We are currently a $1.2bn company, and
our next target is to be $2bn by 2030,” says Shri
Paul Oswal, chairman and managing director of
Vardhman Group, which is based in Ludhiana,
Punjab. “We have the largest capacity in the
country, and well-established relationships with
many other global brands in the US and Europe,
with a diversified portfolio of customers. We are the
preferred supplier of fabric to Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka as well as Indian garment manufacturers.”
Currently, Vardhman exports around
50% of its yarn production, 30-35% of
fabric, and 20-25% of garment output.
It leverages a wide range of competitive
advantages, including its fully-integrated value
chain with facilities across India, that allow
it remarkable agility to adapt to change and
freedom to customise to its clients’ needs.
Its integration means the company can also
deliver consistency and reliability, as well as
HFCL
Setting international benchmarks for next-gen digital networks
I
ndia has quickly become the preferred
‘China-plus-one’ investment destination
and will drive a fifth of the world’s economic
expansion this decade, according to Morgan
Stanley, which highlighted it as one of only
three countries capable of generating over
USD 400 billion in annual output growth.
India is home to the world’s second-largest
mobile market, with a subscriber base of 1.17
billion as of August 2022, according to the
government agency Invest India. And with
a PLI Scheme for design-led manufacturing
and networking products worth INR 12,195
crore, India’s government has made 4G
expansion and 5G rollout key to transforming
the country into a developed nation.
Incorporated in 1987, HFCL is India’s
leading manufacturer and supplier of fiber
optic cables, operating several state-of-
the-art production facilities and exporting
to more than 30 countries worldwide.
HFCL has delivered multiple large-scale,
end-to-end network solutions projects across
various sectors, including a secure military
communication network spanning 300-plus
locations for India’s defence forces worth USD
1 billion. HFCL is currently implementing Dhaka
Metro’s communication system, having completed
Mauritius Metro’s communication system.
Shri Paul Oswal
Chairman & Managing Director
traceability and sustainability – particularly
important as ESG demands grow. Indeed, the
company’s commercial success is founded
on strong values that its partners recognise.
“Our main selling point is very consistent
quality,” says Oswal. “The best quality we can
offer. We are also a partner that can be trusted –
goodwill is more important to us than money.”
In 2016, American & Efird, one of the world’s
leading textile companies, took a majority stake
in Vardhman, affirming the latter’s position as a
business of global stature with the values and
outlook to attract top investors. Vardhman continues
to be open to partnerships, including those that
will bring knowledge and technology, including
R&D capacity; it already works with technology
partners from around the world, including Japan.
“In 1960’s, my vision was to set up professional
corporate house. However, it was difficult to get
Mahendra Nahata
Managing Director
In line with 5G rollouts globally, HFCL
has been investing in building a 5G products
portfolio, leveraging its strong R&D capabilities
and partnerships with global tech leaders. The
company has in-house R&D Centres in India
Content from
The International Investor
qualified professionals in Ludhiana and the culture
of Ludhiana was also not aligned as most of the
small & medium business were run by the family
who virtually took all the decisions with very little
delegation. To improve professional culture,
we had two options; either to go to Delhi or to
initiate the process of development of people in
Ludhiana and create a partnership in the society
at large. We opted for the latter. We can proudly
say today that professionalism in Ludhiana
has grown and no. of big houses have sprung
up manned by high sounding professionals.
In mid 80s, Punjab faced a political situation
which scared people to come to Ludhiana for
jobs and for those who were already working
there belonging to outside Ludhiana were under
tremendous pressure. It posed formidable challenge
to us as that time as no. of organizations shifted
their Corporate Office to Delhi. We deliberated and
resolved that this is a temporary situation. We like to
tide over through our internal process of developing
people who have roots in Punjab and, therefore,
we developed Vardhman Training & Development
Centre (VTDC). At the same time, the group
evolved strategy for the geographical dispersal for
our activities in the states like Madhya Pradesh &
Himachal Pradesh and today the %
of revenue which comes from these
two states is much higher than the
Punjab. Accordingly, VTDC facility
is now being used for training of
employees for the entire group.
to innovate cutting-edge technology products
and solutions. HFCL’s capabilities go beyond
premium quality Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber
Cables to state-of-the-art telecom products
including 5G RAN Products, 5G Transport
Products, World’s First Open-Source Wi-Fi
7 Access Points, Unlicensed Band Radios,
Switches, Routers and Software Defined Radios.
“We are working with customers across the
Europe including France, Germany, the UK,
and Poland. Besides Europe, we also work
with customers in Australia, the Middle East,
Oman, and Dubai. HFCL generates nearly
21% of its revenue from international exports,
and the company aims to increase this to 70%
in the next three years, backed by a strong
financial performance in FY22”, said Mr.
Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director, HFCL.
“India is deploying 5G at the fastest pace in
the world which opens multiple opportunities for
companies like ours. This is why it is the most
opportune time to introduce next-generation
products and solutions across multiple
areas of expertise. We are confident that our
world-class innovations will further aid and
accelerate 5G adoption and network upgrade
both in India and globally”, added Mr. Nahata.
 Culture HIGH, LOW + EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Breezy Boater
The Arc at Green School
BALI, INDONESIA

At first glance, what looks like a

giant folded straw hat that the
wind might carry off to the nearby
indian Ocean is, in fact, the curved
roof of this school’s gymnasium.
The private institution in the jungle
advocates sustainability education.
Bamboo arches stretching 62 feet
are bent to form a 45-foot-high
natural shelter that resembles
the shape of a mammal’s rib cage.
Maximizing space with minimal
materials, this unparalleled
structure lets the breezes
provide natural air conditioning.
(See #09 on following spread)

56 NE WSWEEK .COM April 14, 2023

 Willy Loman for the Future
Billy Crudup sells condos on the moon in his new series, Hello Tomorrow! ▸ P.64

UNCHARTED

Climate-Neutral
Architecture That’s Also
Great Eye Candy
TOP RIG HT: BRU CE GLIK A S /G E T T Y

Buildings, from construction to operation, generate about 40 percent of annual global CO2 emissions.
Architects worldwide are offering their solutions to transform these structures into sustainable, self-
sufficient systems that can even help slow down global warming. From a vertical garden in Singapore or a
bamboo arch in Indonesia to a 3D-printed house in Italy or giant timber “mushrooms” in Spain, here are
carbon-neutral structures and prototypes with great design—visually and environmentally. —Fan Chen

P h o t o g r a p h s b y T O M M A S O R I VA NE WSWEEK .COM 57
Culture
01
Urban Treehouse
Populus
DENVER
Populus, set to open in late
2023 in downtown Denver,
aims to be the United
States’ first climate-positive
hotel by using sustainable
materials in the construction
process and planting more
than 700,000 trees offsite.
Its stylish, triangular shape
takes inspiration from the
aspen tree, often associated
with Colorado; its sculptural
white facade is covered in
windows that mimic the
eye-shaped marks on tree
trunks. The 13-story, 265-
room building also features
a rooftop with native plants
and a skyline stretching
to the Rocky Mountains.
58 NE WSWEEK .COM
03
Art of Timber
A-Block Building
SCARBOROUGH, CANADA
Slated to be completed this year, this
large, laminated timber building at
Centennial College of Applied Arts
and Technology is likely Canada’s
first carbon-neutral higher education
facility. The highly transparent
six-story building offsets carbon
emissions by using locally sourced
wood and rooftop photovoltaic
panels to generate energy.
1 3
2
02
Indoor-Outdoor Living
No Footprint House
OJOCHAL, COSTA RICA
This tropical house sits in a small
village at the edge of a vast rainforest.
The prototype’s wooden facade panels
are customized for the climate with
slats that can be opened or closed
to connect the inside and out, and
to let air flow through and sunlight
drench the room. The slanted roof
protects the house from heavy rainfall
and harvests solar energy, forming
a self-sufficient power system.
01: URBAN VILL AGE S; 02: FERNANDO ALDA ; 03: DIALOG/CENTENNIAL COLLEGE ; 04: SYLVAIN SONNE T/GE T T Y; 05: WA SP AND MARI O C UC I NELL A ARC H I TEC TS
05
Not Dot Matrix
Tecla House
MASSA LOMBARDA, ITALY
In a case of dreams becoming reality,
this house in Ravenna is the product
of 3D printers. Tecla, a combination of
“technology” and “clay,” is a prototype
of eco-friendly emergency housing.
Made of locally sourced clay and mainly
biodegradable materials, the dome-
shaped shell ensures the house’s
stability, blocks outdoor heat and allows
daylight to flow from wall to wall. It takes
only 200 hours to build each unit with
3D-printing technology, further reducing
carbon emissions during construction.
4
04
Shade and Play
Metropol Parasol
SEVILLE, SPAIN
At public Plaza de la Encarnación,
numerous glued veneers and more
than 3,000 connection nodes are joined
to create six giant timber parasols,
known as the Mushrooms of Seville
for their fungi-like shape. To explore
this engineering adventure and one of
the largest wooden structures in the
world, climb to its top and trek along
the winding walkway for stunning
views of the city and see how the roof
grid and solar cells provide energy to
lower-level restaurants and markets.
APRIL 14, 2023
 06: IWAN BA AN/MA SS DE SIGN GROUP; 07: NIGEL YOUNG; 08: OA SIA HOTEL DOWNTOWN; 09: TOMMA SO RI VA ; 10: KO KK AI NG/GE T T Y

07

Desert Cool Zone

Masdar Institute of Science
and Technology
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Khalifa University’s sustainability-
focused research institute features
a large solar field and facades made
of low-carbon materials to serve as
a thermal barrier against the intense
5 desert sun. The campus building, with
its intricate latticework in traditional
Islamic design and its undulating
dome, consumes less than half the
potable water and electricity compared
to UAE’s average buildings and
generates 60 percent more energy.
7 88-foot-high vertical garden includes
08
Vertical Rainforest Habitat
Oasia Hotel Downtown
SINGAPORE
Amid the metallic high-rises in
downtown Singapore, this floral, leafy
skyscraper looks like an overgrown furry
monster from afar. Aimed at recreating
an entire ecosystem, the tower
includes an open-air sky garden. The
21 species of climbing plants that
form a living facade for the red-hued
building and attract various wildlife,
such as birds, squirrels and lizards.
10

Tangram Model
8 Pixel Building
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
6
Outside Australia’s first
carbon-neutral office building,
9
an assembly of recycled,
09 colorful panels maximizes
daylight and minimizes glare.
Breezy Boater Inside, a carefully designed
The Arc at Green School water capture- and storage-
BALI, INDONESIA system that includes rainfall
(See previous spread) filtration and vacuum toilets
06
guarantees all the building’s
Solar-Powered Habitat non-potable water needs.
Rwanda Institute for Conservation Opened 13 years ago, Pixel
Agriculture (RICA) remains a model for green
10 buildings—low-carbon
GASHORA, RWANDA
concrete, energy self-
In one of the most impoverished
sufficient and design-forward.
districts in Rwanda, architects are
building an ecological model with
big impact. Completely powered by
an on-site solar array, structures
on the campus are built from local
materials and require no electrical
lighting. The array, the largest in
Rwanda, also supports crop irrigation
and waste recycling systems.

NE WSWEEK .COM 59
 Content from
Malaysia: Stepping into the Future The International Investor

Kedah - Heart of Asia

Affirming Malaysia’s investment-grade rating with stable outlook in February
2023, ratings agency Fitch praised the country’s “diversified economy with strong medium-
term growth prospects” and underlined a “strong growth outlook”. The company noted
a number of positive factors playing into its decision, including robust current account
surpluses, moderate inflation, budgetary consolidation, and near-term political stability.
Malaysia’s favourable macroeconomic and political situation owes much to its
system of governance, which embraces diversity as well as devolution. The
country is a federation of thirteen states and three federal territories. States have
considerable scope to shape their own policies towards investment and business.

L
ying in the north-west of Malaysia,
bordering Thailand and adjacent to the
island state of Penang, Kedah lies at the
heart of a region that has been the fulcrum of
trade routes for millennia. Kedah benefits not
only from its enviable strategic location, but an
abundance of natural resources, biodiversity,
human talent, and physical beauty. These
natural advantages are enhanced by what
may be the strongest business and investment
environment in the country. The state’s Kedah
Development Plan 2035 (KEDAH2035) seeks
to achieve high income status for its people
through unleashing Kedah’s huge potential,
with the private sector playing a leading role.
“To achieve our goals, we want to attract
foreign direct investment and new partnerships
to Kedah,” says Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, the
state’s Chief Minister. “We want multinationals
to come and set up business here. Our
state is known for tourism, agriculture, and
manufacturing. We have ample land, great
infrastructure, the best connectivity, a skilled
talent pool, and very collaborative government
agencies. We have fast processes for investors
and a strong track record with multinationals
already present here. We are the heart and
centre of Asia, and springboard to the rest of
the continent with economical overheads.”
A diverse state with 2m people of Malay,
Chinese, and Indian ethnicity, Kedah is a
tolerant, welcoming, and peaceful place in
a region of global importance. Its historical
strengths have come from its location and
its fertility – the state has 137,00 ha of rice
paddy fields. Today, while retaining a strong
agricultural sector, Kedah is home to both
one of South East Asia’s most revered tourist
destinations in the Langkawi archipelago, and
a growing range of high-tech and value-added
industries. Many are hosted in its industrial
parks. These include Kulim High-Tech Park
(KHTP) – the state’s leading industrial zone
– and Kedah Science and Technology Park
(KSTP). The latter focuses on new technology
in advanced materials, agriscience, green
technology, and supporting industries. The
recently-founded Kedah Rubber City (KRC) is
Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor
Chief Minister
a huge industrial park dedicated to the rubber
industry such as advanced latex products,
advanced rubber materials and engineering
rubber products. It is expected to contribute
$3.3bn to Malaysia’s GDP and create 14,500
jobs within 15 years once it is completed in 2030.
Muhammad Sanusi has made developing
new industrial parks a priority, with several
more set to launch by 2035. New industrial
parks are under development in Sungai Petani
and Gurun, both in the centre-west of the state,
of 1000 acres and 2000 acres, respectively. The
state government is also working on the Bukit
Kayu Hitam Special Border Economic Zone
(SBEZ) housed in the along the Thai frontier,
which Delapan SBEZ is being developed by
Northern Gateway Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of
Ministry of Finance Incorporated. This free
trade zone will focus on logistics, data centres,
and manufacturing. Also under development is
Kedah Aerotropolis consists of a new airport
– Kulim International Airport, KXP - which is
set to be a cargo and maintenance, repair,
and operation (MRO) hub for South East Asia
including Sidam Logistics, Aerospace and
Manufacturing (SLAM) for avionics, aircraft
interiors, logistics and aerospace industries.
These developments go hand-
in-hand with the state’s proactive
approach to investment as a whole.
“The world is moving fast - if you’re slow,
you’re left behind,” says Muhammad Sanusi.
“If you want businesses to come, you have
to provide everything – we make it easy, we
make it fast. We provide the infrastructure
for investors. Whatever they ask for, we will
be able to provide. We offer fiscal and non-
fiscal incentives. We have a huge area of land
to offer to any partner, and can provide up to
50 acres [20 ha], when most neighbouring
states can offer at most 20 acres.”
The state’s baseline is that projects
will take just nine months from start to
completion, and the investor being able to
commence production; this is the fastest in
Malaysia, the Chief Minister says. Potential
investors can contact Invest Kedah Berhad
(IKB), the state investment promotion
agency which caters to all their needs.
In keeping with Kedah’s emphasis on
innovation and the natural environment,
renewable energy is a major area of focus for
the state. The Chief Minister says that by the
end of the decade, all products will need to be
made using green energy. This is an opportunity
more than a challenge – Kedah is the sunniest
state in the country, and has ample land,
the basic resources for solar development.
Kedah stands out for its world-class
business environment as well as its natural
advantages, but also leverages being part
of a bigger whole, Malaysia. The country
is one of the most eye-catching emerging
markets globally, while benefitting from
a secure political and judicial framework,
and consistent policy-making approach
supporting value-added in the economy.
“Kedah, Malaysia is a great investment
destination,” says Muhammad Sanusi. “It’s
politically stable, and the
central government supports
us. Malaysia is at the
crossroads of the world, and
Kedah is the ideal gateway to it.”
 Content from
Malaysia: Stepping into the Future The International Investor

GISB Holdings
Creating a harmonious society through the beauty of Islam
Malaysia’s economy grew the fastest in over two decades in 2022, according to data from
the Central Bank of Malaysia, which recorded a GDP increase of 8.7%. And with China,
Malaysia’s largest trading partner, expected to recover its economic momentum in the
second half of this year, domestic demand, according to Bloomberg, will continue to power
the economy. Additionally, Malaysia’s strategic location in the heart of Southeast Asia
enables easy access to over 650 million consumers in a market worth a combined GDP of
USD 3.2 trillion, according to the country’s government agency MIDA, and has attracted 16
free trade agreements with the likes of Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India.

M
alaysia’s economic diversification effort
ranked the country first in Southeast
Asia for foreign investment on the Milken
Institute’s Global Opportunity Index 2022. In 2021,
Malaysia recorded RM208.6 billion in foreign
investments, according to MIDA, up by 68.1%
on 2020 and spurred on by high impact, pro-
business government initiatives like the National
Agrofood Policy 2021-2030, which helped to
approve agricultural investments worth RM2.3
billion in its inaugural year. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s
Education Blueprint 2015-2025 is transforming
the country into a regional hub for educational
excellence and Industry 4.0 talent. The number
of Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs)
in Malaysia now stands at more than 400 and
the PHEI industry alone has the potential to be
worth RM65 million by 2026, according to MIDA.
Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings
(GISBH) is an Islamic Bumiputera company founded
in 2000 by the late Ustaz Ashaari Muhammed to help
the Islamic way of life flourish in society. GISBH’s
diverse portfolio of people-first businesses operates
through 22 subsidiaries across eight sectors,
including food production, human development,
healthcare, manufacturing, and public relations.
Amongst GISBH’s subsidiaries are Ikhwan TV According to Pfordten, GISBH’s early years of reflects the company’s integrated CSR philosophy,
Network, GISB Bakery, Restaurant, and Catering; comprehensive organic growth remain a platform which seeks to nurture an exemplary, well-rounded,
GISB Industries; GISB Property and Development; for the value-accretive expansion it successfully generation of Muslim youth to all levels of society,
GISB Consultancy & Services; and GISB Medicare. pursues today. Having developed a method to equipped with a dedication to those in need. Most
GISBH’s aim to develop the Islamic way of life efficiently produce low-fat (0.1%), premium chicken notably, GISBH’s company leadership created The
within each industry it works in is perhaps best without vaccines or antibiotics, GISBH now plans Youth Defenders of the Ummah to educate and
expressed by its Ikhwan brand, which provides to enter the poultry industry through its subsidiary empower Muslim teenagers through implementing
various award-winning services and sells halal GISB Poultry and is looking for global partners. the discipline of the Islamic way of life and skills
products, such as rice and flour, drinks and coffee, GISB has already ventured into Thailand but training in its seven global RPU Training Centers.
frozen foods, and health and hygiene products. is particularly interested in mutually beneficial “Our main goals are not about business; they
Hence, alongside winning the ‘Entrepreneur of the partnerships with US-based companies that align concern humanity, love, friendship and serving the
Year’ award at the Top Achievers Malaysia 2019 and with its community-centric business ethos. “We’ve community – that has always been our goal. We want
operating the ‘Best International Restaurant Chain’ established relationships all over the world, but to make people better day by day,” says Pfordten.
according to the Malaysia Tourism Council Gold we always strive to maintain our community GISBH’s international mindset and diversity
Awards 2019, GISBH was also the Gold Sponsor values. What we want to do in the future is spread embody that which sets Malaysia apart from its
at the Sarajevo Halal Fair 2019, where it won the more love and humanity worldwide. That’s the Southeast Asian peers, and its growth strategy aligns
‘Remarkable Contribution to the Global Halal most important thing for us; the money follows with Prime Minister Anwar’s effort to strengthen the
Industry’ award. “Ultimately, we’re religiously driven when you start caring for people,” says Pfordten. country’s global presence and international brand.
– we practice true Islamic religion, which is about our Above all, Pfordten attributes GISBH’s success “We see it as our task to establish unity within
relationship with God. We think about the people to its unique ‘equal system’ approach to its 5000- Malaysia’s diverse population for the betterment of
and the love that goes into our products and do our plus employees, transforming them into a family society. We have to understand each other. We have
best to give back for everything we receive in life,” of multiskilled, self-sustainable entrepreneurs – to have open hearts to accept our differences and
says GISBH’s CEO, Dato’ Lokman Hakim Pfordten. everything in GISBH’s restaurants, including the walk together into Malaysia’s future,” says Pfordten.
GISBH’s market presence spans 17 countries furniture, is manufactured in-house. Not only has this
through its restaurant and supermarket branches, been instrumental for GISBH in converting its core
including the UK, Germany, the UAE, and Australia. strengths to a wide variety of industries, but it also
 N E WS M A K E R S

Talking Points
“THE FACE OF ROCK AND “I DON’T WANT TO
ROLL WAS THE WHITE BE LIMITED. I WANT
MAN; THE FACE OF TO SPREAD MY
DISCO MUSIC WAS THE WINGS AND FLY.”
BLACK WOMAN.”

“When
—Supermodel Gisele Bündchen
—Daisy Jones & The Six

there’s an
actress Nabiyah Be

opportunity
to avoid civil
“I am fighting for the
war through
dialogue, I,
GISELE BÜNDCHEN

voice of India. I am
ready to pay any price.” as prime
—iNDiA’S OppOSiTiON lEADEr rAHUl GANDHi minister,
am taking a “History

FrOM lE F T: N AriND Er NA NU/A Fp/G E T T Y; FlOriA N G AErTNEr /GE T T Y; STE VE Gr AN iT Z /GE T T Y

time-out for had me glued to
dialogue.” the seat.”
—Civil rights activist Claudette Colvin
—ISRAELI PRI M E M INISTER
recalling the Montgomery bus boycott
BENJAM IN NETANYAHU
RAHUL GANDHI

“American data “IF WE DON’T STAND

will be stored on IN THE WAY, WE MAY
American soil,
by an American AS WELL BE JOINING
company, overseen THE ATTACK.”
by American
personnel.” —Nebraska State Senator Machaela
Cavanaugh who filibustered all legislation
—TikTok CEo Shou Zi ChEw blocking gender-affirming care in minors

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

62 NE WSWEEK .COM April 14, 2023

Culture

PA RT I N G S H OT

Billy Crudup
Hello Tomorrow! on Apple TV+ is boTh fAmiliAr And someThing What was it about Hello Tomorrow!
we’ve never seen before. “It’s representing materially and metaphorically, that interested you?
America as it once was, America as it will be and America as it is now,” Billy The language and the character
Crudup says about the new series, currently streaming. Crudup plays Jack, a was so familiar and so close to
salesman in a retro-futuristic United States, tasked with selling condos on the reality from my perspective, and
moon while his life begins to unravel. On the surface, it looks like 1950s Amer- the world itself was so spectacular,
ica, but with futuristic elements like hovering cars and gadgets. “The actual fully realized and alternate. To me,
fabric of the universe is both comforting, aspirational and disconcerting.” And [the story] created this wonderful
that element is what’s most exciting to Crudup about the world created by Amit juxtaposition that has the potential
Bhalla and Lucas Jansen. Ultimately the show inspires a conversation about the of really illuminating an American
American dream. “The more time we spend wishing for a better reality, in my human plight in a way that I thought
estimation, the less time we get in reality and the less chance we have of actually was both familiar and novel.
changing reality, because you’re not living with the constituent parts of your
day-to-day life if you’re constantly thinking about tomorrow.” How does Jack deal with this?
[We’ve] sold ourselves a different
story...this pluralistic land of bounty
and opportunity. In Jack’s case it’s an
emasculating experience because he
doesn’t know who he is beyond this.

“The actual
fabric of the
When your character tells his
estranged son that his problems
universe is both aren’t going to go away if he

comforting, moves to the moon, that feels like

aspirational and
a window into Jack’s undoing.
In fact, he tells himself the opposite
disconcerting.” every single day. That moment
crystallizes what potentially
could signal a sense of self-
realization, which will lead to
some kind of paradigm shift, and
hopefully, a dramatic catharsis.

What can you say about the

third season of your other Apple
TV+ show, The Morning Show?
The world has experienced some
A A RON RICHTE R /GE T T Y

pretty spectacular news stories

over the last two years, and like the
other two seasons, The Morning
Show tries to take on every single
one of them. —H. Alan Scott

▸ Visit Newsweek.com for the full interview