The Great Divide: What Automotive Consumers are Buying vs. Auto & Supplier Investments in Future Technologies, Products & Business Models

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The U.S. automotive industry is in the midst of a critical period. U.S. light vehicle sales are plateauing at a very high level and include a rich mix of pickup trucks, SUVs, and CUVs that are producing record profits. Despite all the new truck, SUV, and CUV launches at last month’s NAIAS, the companies’ presentations focused on the future of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies, new mobility service models, and advanced powertrain solutions. Automakers are making big bets and hope they will pay off. Ford Chairman Bill Ford summed up the divide when he announced his company’s $11 billion investment in EVs in January 2018, “…we’re all in now. The only question is will the customers be there with us, and we think they will.”

This research addresses the U.S. segment mix, the impact of CAV on personal vehicle ownership, the tension between consumer demand and regulatory mandates on EVs, and the implication for the nation’s engineering and skilled talent development institutions and the overall technological leadership of the United States.