Home » Mobility and post-pandemic choices, Asia thinks positively and pushes the world

Mobility and post-pandemic choices, Asia thinks positively and pushes the world

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Mobility has declined significantly in many regions with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With industry stakeholders focused on keeping their businesses running, conserving margins and protecting employees, it mostly seemed that the sector was in a stalemate. And with car sales plummeting, few consumers seemed willing or able to buy new vehicles.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily slowed growth, the mobility sector is undergoing a profound transformation and is opening up new opportunities for industry players willing to invest in vehicle electrification, autonomous driving and other products and services. From this it emerges that the start of a positive consumer climate with respect to the world of new mobility could stimulate the sector. As well as the production and sales challenges generated by the management of the pandemic, they can be important multipliers for the entire sector.

Across all countries, a McKinsley survey revealed that the number of consumers with a positive outlook on the automotive future has increased considerably, with the greatest growth occurring in Asia.

This survey shows that handling the Covid-19 pandemic has increased interest in low-carbon transport. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have increased consumer awareness of the negative effects of travel, including congested roads and heavy emissions. Global annual sales of plug-in electric passenger vehicles (EVs) reached three million in 2020, an increase of more than 40% year on year, with 46% of fiscal year sales coming from Europe. 39% from China and 12% from North America.

In the survey, many respondents said they are now more interested in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and partial hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs. Europe was the only region where interest in electric vehicles and PHEVs was This trend is somewhat paradoxical, as Europe still has the highest sales of electric vehicles and may occur because European respondents are increasingly concerned about vehicle ownership costs in general. Over 55% of respondents from the North America, which is lagging behind in sales of electric vehicles to Asia and Europe, has expressed a greater interest in these vehicles. More importantly, when asked about the factors that contribute to their interest, respondents from all regions have cited major concerns regarding sustainability and air quality improvements.

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The shift in consumer sentiment could have implications for commercial transport. Over 70% of respondents said cargo delivery should shift from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEs) to BEVs or H2EVs (also known as hydrogen fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) for freight long-haul and intra-urban. Surprisingly, more than 40% of respondents across all nations said they were willing to pay a premium for enabling this shift.

Another major shift in consumer sentiment is that they see low-carbon manufacturing as increasingly vital. Of the respondents who were considering an electric vehicle purchase, more than half said it was a moderately or extremely important consideration. This development suggests that changing consumer sentiment will affect not only vehicle sales, but the entire supply chain as well. Many respondents were also interested in recycling the vehicles sent for scrapping.

The survey also showed that the use of sustainable materials is an important consideration for potential buyers of electric vehicles. Choosing a local producer is also considered moderately to extremely important for many respondents.

Another issue that the worldwide management of the Covid-19 pandemic has generated in consumers is the increased interest in autonomous driving, but on which many barriers remain. Our investigation has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has made consumers more likely to use delivery services, through traditional methods and autonomous technology. Similar trends were observed in all regions. Restrictions due to quarantine and lockdowns have also produced a desire to limit human contact for various reasons. The number of North American respondents who said they would be likely to take deliveries from autonomous vehicles (AV) increased from 18% to 28%. Instead, there was a more modest increase in the number of those willing to use AVs for passenger transport. This shift in consumer sentiment and acceptance could unlock new opportunities for industry players to test and distribute deliveries through self-driving vehicles.

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Despite the growing acceptance of self-driving vehicles, however, manufacturers and other interested companies face many obstacles to adoption. Overall knowledge of this technology is still relatively low, with many respondents saying they have never heard of AV or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), or do not fully understand the meaning of these terms.

The lack of consumer education also contributes to the relatively low confidence in electric vehicles, which is still pronounced despite the increase in the number of people willing to use them. When asked what kept them away from using AVs, most said they didn’t believe the technology was ready. Many others said they didn’t believe AV technology was safer than their driving. Overall, trust is so low that nearly half of consumers don’t trust OEMs, regulators, or independent third parties to validate the use of this technology.

Mobility declined during the pandemic, but the survey indicates that consumer interest in autonomous driving and vehicle electrification has accelerated nonetheless. Players in the sector should therefore consider increasing their investments in these sectors, while educating consumers on the benefits, to increase their profits and their diffusion. Such educational efforts will be particularly important for light commercial vehicles, as public confidence remains low and many people are still reluctant to use these vehicles. Additionally, greater consumer openness to autonomous delivery solutions could make them more familiar with AV technology, potentially opening up more opportunities.

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