The automobile world in a state of change: From the automobile to the concept of auto-mobility

Abstract

The automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation with the arrival of new types of vehicles, services, requirements and uses that break away from the traditional model of cars. The very nature of mobility is changing. User behavior is shifting; social symbols connected to vehicle prestige and journey priorities are not the same. The aspiration attached to private cars is also in the process of changing. A look back at the history of the automobile reveals how our relationship to the car object is altering. It also reveals the need for a different approach to the current concept of mobility. New services (car-sharing, carpooling, self-service cars) are making a significant contribution to the emergence of a new ecosystem. The resulting industrial, economic and ecological situation involves all of the traditional stakeholders in the sector, i.e. car manufacturers, parts manufacturers, recyclers, energy and fuel suppliers, as well as market newcomers like engineering, computing and communications companies. In this new mobility ecosystem, manufacturers are changing their strategies. They find themselves obliged to reinvent an entire industrial model and work with companies far removed from their core business. Are these strategies sufficient to respond to the economic transformations affecting the automotive industry? Is this mobility transformation the basis of a paradigm shift? And lastly, how can public authorities accompany this technological and societal rupture and establish mobility that is ecological, responsible and more shared?