The evolution of the offering strategies of car manufacturers

Abstract

This thesis describes the evolution over time of the characteristics of the cars offered by the world’s most important carmakers. First, an introduction about the automotive industry which focuses on its historical background, its structure, its value chain, and its current major transitional factors is given. The core of this thesis is then the analysis of the evolution that the industry experienced and is experiencing. The analysis is carried out through the consultation of historical data series, concerning the characteristics of the products offered, such as vehicles efficiency, CO2 emissions, size, weight, power, and footprint. In addition, the main current evolutionary trends regarding the automotive industry such as the diffusion of electric vehicles, the autonomous driving and the interconnectivity, the new business models, and the users' behavior regarding the role of the car are explained and analyzed. In conclusion, through the analysis of a survey, some possible scenarios about the future of the automotive industry are discussed. The purpose of the thesis is, through these analyses, to try to understand how the automotive industry is responding to the ongoing challenges that the world is facing.