The next decade of trade in the UK’s automotive sector could be one of the most dynamic and evolutionary in some time. A lot of changes are on the horizon in this period and there are plenty of challenges that need to be overcome to ensure the market remains buoyant.
10 years down the line, what can we expect the motor industry to look like and how will this impact dealers and drivers?
EV takeover
Electric vehicles are increasingly common and much more affordable than in the past; however, they still represent a tiny slice of the market today. Their dominance will grow over the course of the coming decade, driven both by wider variety for buyers and government regulations.
If campaigners get their way, all new cars sold in 2030 could be zero emissions. This is 10 years earlier than the current deadline; however, even if there is no change to the plans, there will still be a rapid increase in EV ownership.
Connectivity rollout
Modern cars already have a wider array of in-car connectivity options than ever before, but they still remain relatively isolated in terms of inter-vehicle communications. This will change as 5G networking arrives and brings much faster mobile internet access to motorways nationwide.
With 5G available, manufacturers will be able to turn cars into always-connected hubs that can interact with one another automatically, sharing information on traffic levels, road incidents and all sorts of other metrics that will make life so much easier for drivers.
This could have an impact on motor trade insurance, which is available from brokers such as https://www.quotemetoday.co.uk/motor-trade-insurance. Connected cars will be safer and smarter, making collisions and other complications less common and lowering the risks as a result.
Autonomous operation
Going hand in hand with the rise of faster connectivity, self-driving vehicles will be widely used in 10 years’ time. There are already some vehicles that have automatic systems on board to improve safety and reduce accidents, but truly driverless cars are not quite on the mainstream market.
By taking human error out of the equation, deaths and injuries on the roads should drop significantly in the next decade; however, it will take a little longer for all vehicles to embrace this technology and to make it cost-effective.