As I sit isolated at home, working from home for over 1 month now, I start to think about how the world will be changed by Covid-19.
Certainly, one thing seems clear: consumer trust and behaviours are going to be changed by Covid-19.
Previously, industry reports showed how consumers were moving away from car ownership to more economic and environmentally friendly transport like on-demand car sharing. Today, with China leading the world in a slow recovery from lock-down, buyer behavior seems to have taken a different turn. The recent article from Bradley Berman1 discusses this change and the increase in Chinese vehicle sales this month, particularly electric vehicles. It will be interesting to see if other regions will follow this trend and just how this will accelerate electric vehicle development globally.
Well, not only the desire to have individual vehicles, but perhaps also the desire to feel more protected within the vehicles. With clean-air systems, connected payment options for fuelling, car parks, automatic entry for personal garages or to workspaces. Really, anything that will help reduce physical contact with everyday objects in the cities we live in.
But also, in the car itself. Is it possible that the accumulated anxieties from this new way of living and interacting with people will accelerate the move to more automated functions in the vehicle and a heightened desire to be always connected and aware of what’s going on around them?
We can’t guess how this situation will continue to unfold and the long lasting impact to our society. What we can say is that the technology is in place to adapt to these new consumer concerns and that at NXP we will be tireless in our efforts to keep society safe and secure.
1 Source :
Car boom begins in China, with a wave of new electric cars about to roll out
Andrew Birnie, a Systems Engineering Manager for Automotive Microcontrollers and Processors, figures out what customers want next. He defines cost-effective, differentiated products that keeps NXP at the forefront of automotive electronics systems technology. On weekends, you'll find him running or riding around the stunning countryside of Scotland.
