The electrification of the powertrain has lead to the generation of a completely new value chain from energy production to automotive after sales. Companies have to acquire new skills or are being pushed out of the market. It was never easier to build a car while profit margins drop.

Owning a car is expensive – and increasingly losing importance: Ride sharing, hailing, pooling, micro-mobility and the uprise of vertical mobility are shaping the face of transport – all based upon software and data. As people buy services instead of cars, OEMs will need to re-define their roles.

With the uprise of driverless vehicles, new car sales drop to a third compared to today’s level. Data-driven consumer insights enable new market entrants to take the lead. And while UX services become key selling feature, hardware is pushed to the sidelines.

For many decades our urban planning was devoted to cars. As we got used to noise damage and air pollution we have forgotten that living spaces should be designed for humans. The growing awareness of environmental problems has massive impact on future mobility: it puts human needs back centre stage.