Based on its recent analysis of the fleet telematics market, Frost & Sullivan has recognised Bridgestone’s Webfleet Solutions with the 2021 European Fleet Telematics Company of the Year Award. The panel commended Webfleet Solutions for its strong leadership position and its innovative products, solutions and services that meet ever-evolving customer needs.
Global sales of Global Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) are projected to reach 9.49 million units in 2020, with pickups contributing to 4.62 million units. According to research by Frost & Sullivan, the global economic impact of COVID-19 caused the market to decline by 19 per cent in global LCV sales from 11.72 million units in 2019. The European market is said to be worst hit, with countries such as Italy and Spain facing an average decline in LCV sales of 35 per cent to 50 per cent in 2020.
A new report published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Frost & Sullivan has found that the UK could be set for a £62bn windfall from connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) by 2030.
The report, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: Winning the Global Race to Market, has found that the UK is in pole position in the global race to market for CAVs.
The recently announced partnership between Ford and Volkswagen in the commercial vans and medium pickup trucks arena served to highlight the strong global demand that both companies foresee in these two segments. The partnership was made public on the sidelines of the just concluded North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2019, in Detroit. It marks the first step in a partnership that seeks to leverage the complementary strengths of both automotive giants in a bid to boost their competitiveness.
Phillip K Dick may well have been thinking far further into the future than the current popularisation of electric cars when he wrote his famous novella “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, however the rise of big data alongside electric and autonomous vehicles means the most advanced cars of today have an increasing amount in common with the artificial intelligence in the source material for the film Blade Runner.
The electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing rapid growth as a result of several global trends. Increasing city regulations, a decline in lithium-ion battery prices, and high demand in China are expected to push global EV sales to an unprecedented 1.6 million unit sales, with China leading the market at 49.5 per cent market share, followed by Europe with 25.6 per cent. Frost & Sullivan expects solid-state batteries to be a game-changer, potentially opening up significant growth opportunities for future battery chemistries due to manufacturers’ claims of an energy density 2.5 times higher than lithium-ion batteries.
The IAAF will adopt a post-Brexit theme at its Annual Conference next month, with a host of influential key speakers from across the automotive industry taking centre stage to discuss important issues involving ‘tomorrow’s’ aftermarket and future technology.
Poland’s electromobility market is ripe for growth. Favourable government initiatives such as the Electromobility Plan and Electromobility and Alternative Fuels Act are reshaping local mobility and igniting innovative clean technologies to achieve higher competitiveness and energy optimization. Growth will be augmented by consumer incentives and the simultaneous development of infrastructure, energy distribution, and product offerings. Players should look for opportunities in charging point infrastructure development, automotive supply chain transformation, and public transport modernisation to gain a competitive advantage.
The world’s first commercial road and air legal flying car has gone on sale, but with a hefty price tag. Dutch manufacturer PAL-V has revealed details of the PAL-V Liberty, a concept that first debuted in 2012. It costs around £425,000, more expensive than 26 Ford Fiestas. The price of the flying car includes flight instruction sessions, power heating and other personalisation options.
The electric vehicle (EV) market is booming. Approximately 25 new electric vehicle models are likely to be launched later this year with Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3 being the most anticipated. The availability of incentives and subsidies in the market, significant investment by original equipment manufacturers, new entrants, and lower battery prices are factors propelling double-digit growth. However, the lack of standardisation in charging technology, absence of a fixed business model, and short-distance range of EVs still need to be addressed.
The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that British cars are among the best maintained in the world, with UK motorists spending a collective £21.1 billion a year on servicing and repair. The data, which was released on the eve of the inaugural Automechanika Birmingham, forms the basis of the first official industry analysis of the UK automotive aftermarket. It also comes at the same time that Sainsbury’s bank has released data suggesting the average annual cost of running a car is around £2,197.42, 22 per cent – or £622 – less than 2013. The main reason for this change is that the cost of fuel has fallen by 37.8 per cent during this period.
Automotive tyre manufacturers in Europe are focussing on electronic retailing (e-tail) to serve increasing customer preference for convenience and low prices, according to a new report published by Frost & Sullivan. Currently, tyre e-tail accounts for nearly eight per cent of the total tyre aftermarket in Europe. The report concludes that this figure will continue to rise as tyre manufacturers recognise the potential to access global markets through e-tail and invest in online sales and marketing tools to meet their growth objectives. Here Tyres & Accessories engages with the Frost & Sullivan data in order to better understand and begin to apply it to the current market context.
A new study from Frost & Sullivan says that Eastern Europe and Central Asia offer very interesting opportunities for the light vehicles sector which includes passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The study analyses this market in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, and finds that by 2021 the annual light vehicle sales volume in these eight countries is expected to reach nearly one million.
Leading UK technology company, WheelRight, has been awarded the Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation and Leadership Award. The award was presented for its remote tyre pressure monitoring system. The system comprises a sensory pad that is embedded into the road, at a point where vehicles enter or leave a facility or forecourt. As the device is driven over, ‘in-motion’ measurements of the tyre pressures, axle weights and tyre temperatures are acquired and analysed without the need for any equipment being attached to the vehicle. Within seconds, these readings can be delivered directly to the driver’s mobile phone.
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