Our New Technologies Automotive Team headed to Las Vegas earlier this year to attend the CES 2020 annual trade show. The rapid digitisation and dynamic landscape of the Automotive industry has resulted in the innovation of a variety of industry changing consumer technologies, all placed under one roof at the trade show hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
As a global Executive Search team, we encourage all of our specialist consultants to network with their clients and meet them as often as possible. Our Automotive Team headed out to the trade show to network and meet with clients to discuss upcoming projects and emerging trends and technology within the Automotive industry.
At events like CES 2020, companies from all over the world that may not have the opportunity to meet throughout the year can meet and network as well as see the technology first hand. Experiencing the new trends and influences upon the Automotive market in person was really beneficial, however, having the opportunity to meet with leadership teams of some of the biggest clients for our Automotive team was invaluable.
The prevailing message from the majority of people that our team met at CES is that the Automotive market is still something that is exciting to be a part of. Despite the change and uncertainty that has occurred within the industry recently, there has been so much opportunity and willingness to explore new avenues and create innovative technologies.
For example, there was a lot of discussion surrounding electrical vertical take-off and landing (evtol) aircraft, as well as some really interesting concepts that were focused on display. Interestingly, whilst the electric passenger vehicles that have been created that rival companies like Uber and Lyft seem like they are only possible in science fiction, there are real examples of these vehicles and technologies that are currently being tested.
Despite such innovation, the Automotive industry – at least this year – was less about innovation and more about developing the technologies that were presented in previous years. At the CES event, there were incredible developments focused on autonomous vehicles and a few OWMs that are releasing impressive concept vehicles.
The future of the industry looks bright, with influences from technology that is being developed in other industries - such as consumer technology.
The future of the industry looks bright, with influences from technology that is being developed in other industries – such as consumer technology. One in particular is an augmented reality windshield, which is able to display navigation instructions and other information, as well as highlighting potential hazards on the road. The developments of this piece of tech is likely to mean that this could be seen in the next generations of vehicles in the near future.
Additionally, the Automotive Team predict that the top 3 influences upon the industry will include: autonomous vehicles, connectivity, and ride-sharing and the decline of traditional car ownership. The forecast is indicative from the CES event, only time will tell to see what new innovations and technology will arise in the coming few months.
