How the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the automotive industry

Sourcing and sales strategies put to the test

After several weeks of enforced closure during the coronavirus crisis, the automotive industry is slowly and cautiously restarting production. One after another, manufacturers such as Daimler, Audi and Volkswagen are taking steps towards normal business operations. Strict occupational health and safety measures and new working conditions apply in their factories. However, a large proportion of the industry's 830,000 employees are still away from their workplaces because of short-time working, leave or working from home.

A strategic path out of the coronavirus crisis

To reposition themselves in the market, companies are fundamentally rethinking global value and supply chains behind the scenes and defining new economic structures for the long term. Industry participants are now being forced to reduce their dependence on particular sales markets and operate in several target markets at the same time to spread risk as widely as possible. Specialising in individual areas also offers advantages, but the willingness to concentrate on a narrow focus is not always rewarded in exceptional times such as the coronavirus crisis.

Coronavirus and automotive: new directions open up new target markets

Automotive suppliers are therefore considering where else their products could be used in the future. This certainly requires new strategies, a focus on new target groups or changes to manufacturing processes, but it also opens up new opportunities. A company's flexibility can create new revenue streams, opportunities for sales growth, potential synergies and many other benefits.

Develop new markets and understand existing ones with DTO

Now more than ever, companies need new opportunities and a clear understanding of the market so that they can do more than react to the crisis and actively shape their medium- and long-term future. With its specialisation in the automotive sector, DTO supports you in finding new opportunities. We are happy to advise and guide you by assessing market conditions accurately, identifying the right interview partners for your questions and developing a market analysis tailored to your needs. We help you obtain targeted knowledge about customers, products, competitors and markets and use it to the greatest strategic effect.