An industry as wide-ranging as the automobile could only result in an overwhelming pace of news. The automotive world is going through its biggest period of change ever with the future bringing complex and large-scale challenges.
On the one hand, it involves efforts — not just financial — to electrify the car . Not only because of the tightening of emission standards that obliges us to follow this path, but also because of the imposition, by decree, of having electric cars, if they want to remain present in some of the main world stages.
On the other hand, the future of industry and mobility has never been more uncertain than it is today. The reason? The biggest disruptive factor facing this industry: autonomous driving. It will mean the reinvention, extinction and creation of many business models, with consequences that are still difficult to predict.
Autonomous driving, stricter emission standards and consequent electrification turned out to be the main driver of much of the news we published this year. Here are some of the highlights:
Diesel
After a “black” year of 2017, 2018 was no different, with Diesel sales still falling. For many brands it is impractical to invest in diesel engines, and even more, with the threats of banning circulation that occur in many European cities. No wonder many have decided to purely abandon this type of engine.WLTP
The launch date for the new testing protocol has been on the calendar for a long time — pre-Dieselgate — but that hasn't stopped many builders from preparing and certifying their engines for the new protocol from chaos.
THE Volkswagen Group was particularly affected , given the immensity of their ranges and the numerous engine-transmission combinations they have. In some cases, like Bentley, the problems were "almost catastrophic", as we reported.
Other consequences due to the introduction of the WLTP refer to the suspension of production of some versions of some models until the premature end of others:
- Ford Focus RS
- BMW 7 Series and BMW M3
- Audi SQ5
But the consequences of WLTP do not stop there. In addition to the consumption and official emissions increase and the autonomy of trams decrease — which can still have consequences for the price and tax level — , the introduction of particulate filters in turbo gasoline engines and recalibration of many engines, led to some losing horses along the way:
- BMW Z4 M40i
- SEAT Leon Cupra
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joint ventures
The future is posing great challenges for all car groups and manufacturers — they will essentially have to reinvent themselves to stay relevant as we enter an electrified, autonomous and connected automotive world.
How to face the challenges? Joining. In recent years we have witnessed all kinds of partnerships and even acquisitions, even with companies that have little or nothing to do with the automobile industry. We leave some examples:
- Volvo and NVIDIA — autonomous driving;
- Hyundai and Audi — hydrogen fuel cell vehicles;
- Volkswagen Group, BMW, Daimler, Ford — Network of high-speed charging stations (Ionity);
- Toyota, Suzuki — most efficient combustion engine;
- Daimler and BMW — mobility;
- Ford and Volkswagen Group — Commercial vehicles, but it could be the beginning of something else…;
- Porsche buys 10% of Rimac — electrification
CEO
Industry “captains” were also in evidence in 2018, not always for the best reasons. Also due to Dieselgate we saw the now ex-CEO of Audi, Rupert Stadler to be detained, and to end the year, too. Carlos Ghosn was arrested (father of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance), accused of financial misconduct, in a story of which we do not yet know all the details.
A word also for the death of Sergio Marchionne , CEO of FCA and Ferrari. Like it or not Marchionne — he was never a consensual figure — he managed to take two practically bankrupt groups and make them viable. A legend in the industry, he left a big void of leadership — can Mike Manley (former Jeep CEO) take the FCA forward?
Tesla
With a CEO as popular as Elon Musk at his helm, Tesla was a constant presence at Ledger Automobile. We report problems on the Model 3 production line and suggestions for improving this model, all interspersed with bombastic statements by Musk.
However, are the many doubts about the future sustainability of the brand starting to be dispelled? THE Tesla reported profit in the penultimate quarter of the year.
But the question remains: Was it just a quarter or will it become a more regular event, demonstrating the company's viability?
In closing, for the many interested in Model 3, there are finally prices for the Model 3 for Portugal.
Read more about what happened in the automotive world in 2018:
- 2018 was like that. Electric, sports and even SUV. The cars that stood out
- 2018 was like that. “In memoriam”. Say goodbye to these cars
- 2018 was like that. Are we closer to the car of the future?
- 2018 was like that. Can we repeat that? The 9 cars that marked us
2018 was like this... In the last week of the year, time for reflection. We remember the events, cars, technologies and experiences that marked the year in an effervescent car industry.