Auto industry faces lengthy decline in sales

The automotive industry is the second year into what could be years of falling or stagnant new vehicle sales in an almost unprecedented decline at a global level, signalling structural changes across automotive OEMs, including more plant closures.

That is according to a forecast by Automotive from Ultima Media, a new global business intelligence unit by the specialist B2B publisher of automotive media, including Automotive Manufacturing Solutions.

The report, ‘Automotive headwinds align into a perfect storm’, foresees significant risks for the industry. This year, most major automotive markets have seen deteriorating economic conditions, including large declines in China. Germany, Japan, the UK and even the US are showing some of the early signs of an imminent recession and this is impacting consumer confidence.

According to Daniel Harrison, automotive analyst at Ultima Media and author of the report,this softening macroeconomic climate exposes OEMs to considerable risk, just at a time when carmakers are under intense pressure to invest in electric vehicles and new technology. The impacts for the global sector are set to be profound, including to production capacity and to the supply chain.

A full copy of the report, ’Automotive headwinds align into a perfect storm’, is available to download below for free by registering or signing in to AMS.