• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies
  • Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather
  • Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.
  • Audi Introduces Fourth “Sphere” Concept: Activesphere
  • Jaguar Land Rover Posts First Profitable Quarter in Two Years
  • Musk Confirms Cybertruck Production Tracking for End of 2023
  • Polestar Raises its Game with the 2024 Polestar 2
  • Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Steps Down, Hands Reins to Lexus Chief Koji Sato
  • Environmental Groups Chide GM for ICE Investments
  • Tesla Sets New Financial Benchmarks, But Misses Analysts Targets
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Pandemic Forcing Changes Across Transportation Industry

        Pandemic Forcing Changes Across Transportation Industry

        Not only is change coming, no one's certain what it'll cost.

        Joseph Szczesny
        Joseph Szczesny , Executive Editor
        Dec. 09, 2020
        Sheryl Connelly, Ford manager Global Consumer Trends and Futuring, said the automaker found 60% of people are wary of public transportation now.

        The pandemic is re-shaping the auto industry as consumers re-think their vehicle requirements at the same time it puts a spotlight on the need for different approaches to infrastructure, public transportation and fleet management, according to a panel of experts organized by Automotive News.

        John Simlett, associate partner with the British research firm EY, said one of most notable changes is that working from home has changed commuting patterns. Even in Sweden, which did not employ a lock down early on to fight the pandemic, commuting dropped by 70%, a recent survey by his firm found. “It’s legitimized working at home,” he said.

        Sales of small delivery vans have increased during the pandemic and the trend is expected to continue, going forward as shopping patterns change. “Light commercial vehicle sales have been quite high. This is one of the things that people are going to hang on to,” he added.

        (Impact of pandemic on auto sales is short term, not permanent, study suggests.)

        EY’s John Simlett noted the increase in people working form home has dramatically changed commuting patterns.

        Use of public transport is down dramatically, he added. Personal transport has fallen by 50% as people stay closer to home and even use of micro-transport such as shared scooters and bikes is down 50%, of though there are signs it is beginning to recover and sales of electric bikes are now expected to increase in 2021, he noted.

        “We have seen micro-mobility coming back more strongly than public transport,” Simlett observed.

        A new group of younger buyers are entering the market, he added. Many of them used public transit but are now searching out used cars or even new forms of ownership, he said. But the survey by his firm also found they are more likely to be interested in an electric vehicle, a trend mirrored by the rising sales of EVs in Europe, Simlett said.

        Sheryl Connelly, manager Global Consumer Trends and Futuring at the Ford Motor Co., said surveys for Ford’s new ‘Futures” report found that more than 60% said they were reluctant to use public transportation. In addition, 58% said they are not comfortable an airplane, she said.

        But Ford’s surveys also found, even though people are working from home, 17% indicated they use their vehicles for work and 26% said it is a place to relax during the pandemic. Many respondents noted that some of their best conversations take place in a car, according to Ford’s Futures study, which is now in its ninth year, Connelly said.

        Simlett noted that despite commuter traffic being down, sales of commercial vehicles are on the rise.

        “We are going to still be talking about how we really using our automobile a lot more,” she predicted. “A year from now, we’re going to still be talking about how we are really using our automobiles a lot more.”

        (Outlook for auto industry looks promising in 2021.)

        Brian Goldstine, president, Mobility Solutions and Fleet Management, Bridgestone Americas, said the pandemic has made everyone in business much more focused on costs and part of the solution for fleet managers is making sure they have the data needed to keep tabs on vehicles.

        “Measurement is a very important part of total cost of ownership, assets,” Goldstine said, adding that labor shortages or employee turnover add to the stress of fleet managers and require more information. Predictive types of service analytics also will be critical when autonomous vehicles.

        “Tires have to be maintained properly. Technology and advanced analytics can be used to predict when tires need service,” he noted. “In an autonomous world the last thing you want is a breakdown with no one driving. So, you must have an intelligent tire.”

        Public transportation use is down in the wake, and resurgence in some areas, of the coronavirus pandemic.

        Michelle Avary, head of Automotive and Autonomous Mobility, The World Economic Forum, said during the panel that no one has totaled up all the costs of the pandemic yet. “We need to shine a light on the inequality created by the pandemic,” which has done substantial damage to public transit, she said, making it much more difficult for many underserved communities to get to work.

        Regulators will have to make sure others transit needs are met. “California needs make sure the autonomous vehicles of the future can handle wheelchairs,” she noted.

        (Trade-in values on used car prices falling back to normal.)

        “I think we’re at a point where we recognize electrification and de-carbonizing is essential,” she said, but communities need a better understanding of how to make charging electric cars easier. “We’re not going to be able to address climate change unless we can move a lot of people on public transit.”

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies

        Yesterday
        GMC Hummer SUT winter testing

        Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather

        Jan. 27, 2023
        Mercedes Drive Pilot Nevada driving

        Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.

        Jan. 27, 2023

        One response to “Pandemic Forcing Changes Across Transportation Industry”

        1. Jim says:
          December 10, 2020 at 7:07 am

          “Many respondents noted that some of their best conversations take place in a car ….”.

          Maybe it’s because they’re alone in their cars.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: