Insights

From Ownership to Usership

As transit ecosystems evolve, automakers are struggling to navigate the industry’s enormous shift from an ownership economy to a usership economy. The industry must adapt to the changing needs and expectations of entire populations—not just individual customers. And with the COVID-19 crisis impacting household income, consumers will be looking for even more flexible and cost effective options.

The early stages of this transition are already underway, and how original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) position themselves now will determine the road ahead.

How can OEMs turn a looming crisis into an opportunity?

Here are several reasons for this sea change—urbanization, digitization and automation to name a few—and understanding them can help OEMs address customer needs in the coming years.

While urbanization continues to take place across cities globally, the need to connect urban and rural areas remains critical for the flow of people, information, goods and services to maintain a healthy economy. While cities have moved to discourage car ownership with initiatives like the UK’s Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, they must simultaneously invest in infrastructure like commuter rails and roads to encourage greater integration and mutually beneficial relationships between urban and rural areas.

In response to a plethora of transportation options, environmental concerns and increasingly limited space in major urban areas, consumers are downsizing their vehicles and choosing to buy inexpensive, smaller, less-equipped cars—if they buy at all. At the same time, the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), which aims to make European fuel economy labels more realistic, is causing OEMs to stop the production of small cars like the Opel Adam, Ford Ka and Volkswagen Up that run on gasoline or diesel engines. To meet WLTP standards, OEMs would have to spend an additional €3500 per car on technology—a cost that would ultimately be passed onto unwilling consumers.

The convenience of living in a city with comprehensive public transportation and flexible mobility solutions like ride-hailing, bike-sharing and electric scooters will expand outward as the former outskirts become more integrated into city life. The restrictions placed on mobility and social distancing guidelines in response to COVID-19 will also further consumer demand for flexible, individual transportation options.

Previously disparate modes of transportation are blending together as technology progresses. Ride-hailing and taxis will become one. The promise of self-driving cars will cut into services featuring drivers. Car-shares and rentals are already merging and will continue to do so. The transition away from standalone mobility services to complete mobility platforms is underway.

Sixt, a German multinational car rental service, combines rental and sharing into one service for higher utilization of each car, which has had a positive impact on overall profitability. Sixt’s app also offers scooters, taxis and ride-hailing. The service is joined by several automakers who have invested in, partnered with or acquired mobility companies. Daimler and BMW merged their urban mobility services under Your Now, which includes ride-hailing, car-sharing, trip planning, mobile parking and electric vehicle charging. Toyota has invested in Revel, May Mobility and several others. GM has established Maven, a holistic mobility solution. Even pioneers of mobility sharing are investing in other forms of mobility, like Uber’s acquisition of bikeshare company, Jump, and partnership with scootershare, Lime.

This graphic illustrates the transportation and mobility consolidation we expect to see over the next couple of decades: