Autonomous vehicles are a key driver of the fundamental change that is going to happen in the automotive industry in the upcoming years. In less than one decade, vehicles are expected to be capable of driving autonomously, at least in certain use cases. According to our estimations, more than 9 million higher automated vehicles (able to drive autonomously in use cases) will be on the streets worldwide in 2030. With an increasing degree of automation, the importance of certain customer requirements is growing, while other factors, like motorization and handling are expected to lose importance. New players will enter the automotive value chain specializing on both software and hardware solutions, which require specific capabilities and competencies. New business opportunities arise from highly automated cars, which enable the driver to delegate all responsibilities to the vehicle, if he is in the car at all. The driver will no longer be the pilot but a passenger or a potential customer respectively, in the view of multimedia companies. In order to compete with new entrants to the industry, automotive players have to rethink their understanding of the customer and develop flexible approaches to target those business opportunities.
In this study, we would like to share our thinking about the influence of highly automated driving on the traditional car industry, about changes in the value chain and the derivation of new business models enabled by highly automated driving.
