The automotive industry is facing fundamental changes in the coming decades. New collaboration models will be disrupting the existing automotive value chain and increasingly blur the lines between OEM and Tier-1 supplier. As the industry becomes more automated, a skill shift towards robotics down to the line workers is needed. This calls for general employability efforts and reskilling of specific workforce.¹ Companies are also increasingly shifting towards domestic production due to factors such as a reduction of wage differentials.² At the same time, economic power is moving further towards emerging countries with favorable demographic distribution. As a result, new growth regions are created in Asia and Africa.³

The heavily expanding volume of global waste creates a need for processes and efficient recycling technologies for material recovery. Technologies for industrial water treatment and recycling to provide more drinking water are required as well. The on-going increase in e-mobility will cause an increasing amount of waste traction batteries within the next decade. Legislative frameworks for dealing with this waste are in early stages of development.⁴ Meanwhile, the availability of resources for electric vehicle batteries might face a shortage by 2050, according to studies.⁵ More positively, the concept of smart grids is also on the rise. In smart grids, electric vehicles could contribute to the stability of the electricity system by regulated charging patterns.⁶

The industry’s interests are experiencing a shift with unprecedented focus and investments occurring in fields connected to hydrogen.⁷ 3D-printing is becoming more appealing to companies, especially for spare parts. This additive manufacturing allows for versatile designs and shorter development cycles.⁸ Furthermore, software is set to account for 30% of total vehicle content by 2030. Tech-native companies are expected to enter the industry more boldly. This rise in software goes hand in hand with an increasing demand for cybersecurity and the creation of smart factories as part of industry 4.0. Ethical agendas will also play an important role in the industry’s corporate value-based reporting. Factors such as workers’ rights and diversity policies are becoming more prevalent.⁹

_{Sources: 1 Adecco Group 2021 | 2 Roland Berger 2021 | 3 EY 2020 | 4 Baloise and Spark Labs 2020 | 5 Roland Berger 2021; Baloise and Spark Labs 2020 | 6 ADAC 2020 | 7 Hydrogen Council, McKinsey & Company 2021 | 8 BCG 2021 | 9 Barclay's 2020}