In the automotive industry, multiple transformations toward connected, autonomous, shared, and electric mobility (CASE) are in full swing. However, they are currently being severely hampered in many countries. The question now is whether and how the CASE revolution will continue. Here are two theories on this important issue for the automotive industry. 

New competitors such as Tesla from the US, BYD, Nio, and Geely from China, technology companies such as Google and Huawei, and ride-sharing providers such as Uber and Didi are changing the value creation structures in the automotive industry. The question is: to what extent? Here are two theories on this important issue for the automotive industry.

New competitors to traditional car manufacturers such as Tesla from the US, BYD, Nio, and Geely from China, technology companies such as Google and Huawei, and ride-sharing providers such as Uber and Didi will significantly change the competitive landscape in the automotive industry in most markets over the next ten years.  Here are three theories on this.

New competitors in the automotive industry, primarily from China, such as BYD, Nio, and Geely, are driving patents and standardization. The question is, to what extent are they driving product design? Three theories on this important question for the automotive industry.                                                                                                                                                                                               

New competitors in the automotive industry such as Tesla from the US, BYD, Nio, and Geely from China, tech players such as Google and Huawei, and ride-sharing providers such as Uber and Didi will gain value and market share. The question is, what future market opportunities will remain for traditional automotive companies with their roots in combustion technology? Here are three theories:

In September 2024, the Draghi Report, commissioned by the European Commission, was published in Brussels. In it, former ECB President Mario Draghi laments the declining competitiveness of the EU, particularly in digital technologies, due to insufficient investment in research and development, too little venture capital, too much bureaucracy, and a skills shortage, among other factors.

The transformation of mobility will continue, even though electric mobility is currently being called into question in Germany, autonomous driving in mixed traffic will hardly be possible across the board in this decade, and shared driving, e.g., car and ride sharing or pooling, as well as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as a seamless offering of various mobility services (Hietanen, 2014) is not (yet) profitable (Hensher et al., 2020).                                                                                                                 

In 2019, the EU tightened CO2 limits for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, which are to be achieved by 2025 and 2030. Failure to comply will result in fines. Some car manufacturers are calling for the CO2 fleet limits agreed for 2025 to be relaxed at the end of 2024: While Opel and BMW are in favor of maintaining them, VW and Ford, as well as the German Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs, are advocating a relaxation.                                                                                          

What do conflicts mean on the path to sustainability? The core idea of sustainability is that we must not live today at the expense of tomorrow – in ecological, social, and economic terms. Sustainability goals are interdependent and lead to conflicts because every action can also have negative consequences and it is not possible to clearly prioritize them. This also applies to mobility. Here are two theories on the conflicts on the path to sustainable mobility and possible solutions to these conflicts.

In light of global megatrends such as urbanization, decarbonization, digitalization, and demographic change, the automotive industry is undergoing a multifaceted transformation toward connected, autonomous, shared, and electric mobility (CASE). This development, also known as the CASE “revolution” (group.mercedes-benz.com), is affecting all automotive markets around the world, albeit at different speeds and to varying degrees. However, it is currently being slowed down considerably in many countries. The question now is whether and how the CASE revolution will continue.

Chinese OEMs have become pioneers in electric mobility in recent years. In China, electric vehicles (NEVs) account for almost 50% of new car sales, which is higher than anywhere else in the world in a volume market. It therefore makes sense not only to create charging solutions for these vehicles, but also to use them as mobile energy storage devices that can be charged and discharged via bidirectional charging.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

In 2024, Brazil ranked eighth among the world's largest automobile producers and was also the sixth-largest automobile market with sales of 2.48 million vehicles (passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, ANFAVEA 2025; Global Data 2025). The Brazilian automotive market slumped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not yet returned to its pre-coronavirus level of over three million vehicles sold annually.