Daimler hired the head of China operations for rival Citroen to set up a new digitalization unit at its Mercedes-Benz brand, Automobilwoche magazine, a sister publication of Automotive News China, reported Monday.

 

The German carmaker is to launch the unit on Aug. 1 under Sabine Scheunert, who it hired on July 1, according to the magazine.

 

With future generations of cars needing to be equipped with the technology to connect electric motors to batteries, talk to smartphones or activate brakes when a radar system detects an obstacle, software -- or digital -- expertise has become a new battleground for manufacturers.