The transportation industry is in turmoil as a result of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal. Volkswagen has given the Anti-Car movement new fodder for argument, and the movement’s momentum seems to be growing.
Automakers have noticed this as Ford, Daimler, Nissan, and Toyota all partook in National Shared Mobility Summit in Chicago. They seem to recognize that there’s “not really a way to stop it”, and that in order to remain profitable going into the future, automakers will have to refocus their companies vision to create mobility, not just cars.
This is a great example of customer segmentation in business planning, as these firms broaden their potential consumers who may not have previously fit into their business model. In this case it’s especially important because this is a customer segment that will likely see growth over time, and became an important part of market.
Transportation will always be a necessity for consumers, however the car is an imperfect product, thus I respect that automakers are willing to at least look at transitioning in the future. Certainly the future holds self-driving, electric and other sorts of cars, but will advancement in the transportation industry stop there?
Hopefully not, I think it’s very possible that consumers can expect to see a change in automakers value propositions, and potentially – an alternative to the car within the near future.
Article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2015/09/30/automakers-hop-on-the-anti-car-bandwagon/
