For decades, the auto industry was a very structured and tight ecosystem with clearly defined boundaries.
The auto manufacturers ruled, and few “outsiders” were allowed in even consumers didn’t have much of a voice. But all of that began to change with the growth of digital technologies.
Based on their digital experiences with other industries, today’s consumers now expect seamless, omni-channel and customized auto-related experiences, and they are increasingly willing to contribute to product and services innovation.
Consumers know how to get information online and circumvent the standard processes that used to restrict their involvement with industry participants.
As personal mobility expectations grow, non-traditional enterprises are offering technologies to help consumers with driving, including getting directions, dealing with traffic or parking, and integrating with other forms of transportation.
New business models such as car sharing even threaten the need to own a vehicle. Industry ecosystems continue to intersect and overlap.
In the future, this disruption will affect major industry processes as traditional roles change and industry borders fade. Six years ago, we published our last major auto industry perspective, “Automotive 2020: Clarity beyond the chaos.”1 To update our understanding of the future landscape, we shifted the lens out for this “Auto 2025” report.
We asked 175 executives from 21 countries in a variety
of leadership roles how they expect the industry to change over the next decade and how
they plan to deal with those changes.
