How often do you get a second chance in life? Automakers have always been strong at professionalizing their traditional business model, focusing on volume and pure product sales. If you look at the numbers, their sales have been struggling for the past few years even before COVID-19.
Digital trends and the impact of COVID-19 on the mobility market
Why so? The mobility market has been disrupted by many new mobility players who have used the latest digital trends to take over the customer interface and passengers. For example, there are Uber, Didi and Gett who are shedding car ownership … Lilium, Bird and EHang are exploring new urban modes of transport … or Moovit and Waze who are harnessing the power of mobility data.
One silver lining from COVID-19 for OEMs, however, could be that it gives them a second chance: A reduction in driver numbers and limited cash reserves put new mobility gamers in a battle for survival as they try to adapt their business models that are no longer sustainable. This is a historic opportunity for OEMs to re-establish themselves in the market.
The 4 OEM archetypes
Then how can automakers do that? Starting from the traditional pure volume sales business model, OEMs can adapt their business model and follow four future-oriented archetypes to redefine their positioning in the industry:
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- Intelligent car: The future begins with a smarter and more connected car. The business model is still the traditional one and focuses on car sales. Additional on-demand digital services are offered for an additional fee.
- Car-as-a-Service: The first step away from car ownership. The car is offered as an all-inclusive subscription that offers additional flexibility (e.g. I can switch a car if I’m tired of the color or if I need a bigger one for vacation).
- Mobility as a service: The car is now shared and is part of a seamless door-to-door mobility solution for different modes of transport. Integrated booking and ticketing are also offered via a central platform / app.
- Vehicle as a platform: A long-term futuristic archetype, an ecosystem with an autonomous key device. Personal mobility is only becoming one of many everyday use cases such as grocery shopping or school pick-up.
This article was written by Philipp Grosse Kleimann, Senior Partner and Global Head of Automotive & New Mobility, Siemens Advanta Consulting on The Urban Mobility Daily, the content site of Urban Mobility Company, a Paris-based company that drives the mobility business through physical and virtual events and services. Join their community of 10,000+ global mobility professionals by signing up for the Urban Mobility Weekly newsletter. Read the original article Here and follow them on Linkedin and Twitter.
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Published on December 22, 2020 – 01:00 UTC
