The luxury automotive sector showed significant resilience over 2020 as the Covid pandemic broke out. While the wider sector has been faltering in its recovery, the luxury segment kept growing in the following year and in 2022 as well. Along with the general growth though there are other interesting dynamics that can be observed. Larger volumes The top-end of the segment, driven by a few extremely successful brands, has registered yet another growth year, increasing over 2021 by about 9%, and a further 3% the next one as displayed in the graph below. The larger automotive sector instead despi ..read more

Another big name joins Formula E. From 2023, McLaren will acquire the Mercedes EQ Formula E team and join the full-electric racing series. There have been several big names going through the championship already, with some pulling out and others coming in. However, it is the first time we are seeing top-end luxury brands, with strong links to motorsport, joining the series. Could these be the first signals of a more important change coming soon? Not Just McLaren Right from the first season in 2014, Formula E has seen brands like Renault, Audi, Nio, Jaguar, BMW, Mahindra, Mercedes, and Nissan ..read more

On the occasion of Earth Day, Aston Martin unveiled its new sustainability strategy called Racing.Green. which sets a new benchmark for the company’s next decade. Over the past few years, Aston Martin too, following the industry trend dictated by increasingly strict environmental regulations, has started implementing various sustainability measures. These measures of course, in the current market, can also become important marketing and communication tools as well. Aston Martin developing strategy In 2019, Aston Martin already confirmed the use of 100% renewable energy across all its product ..read more

The global automotive industry is still going through a difficult period, with sales in the first quarter of 2022 shrinking in each continent. With negative effects stemming from Covid-19 cases still present despite the general media indifference of the last few weeks, supply shortage, especially with semiconductors, and uncertainties with the Russia-Ukraine war, the outlook is still worrying. March 2022 saw sales in both the US and EU drop by over 20%. Q1 decrease was less severe overall but still reached a significant -10% in both markets (Nasdaq, Statista, Unrae). Asia might partially be a ..read more

With a continuous series of ‘black swans’ adding up on top of the already complex transition happening, the automotive industry is going through extremely uncertain times. Every company was affected to varying degrees, but in the luxury segment the impact looked minor compared to lower ones and the recovery has been definitely faster as analysed in the comparison published previously. However, while the majority of big names in the luxury segment have had a steady recovery and are posting record results already, some went through some major difficulties. McLaren is unfortunately one of them ..read more

A few hours ago Lamborghini released its latest and probably final version of the V10 Huracán as it approaches the hybridisation of its full line-up. The Huracán Tecnica. According to the Cor Tauri strategy, announced by CEO Stephan Winkelmann, and discussed here Lamborghini Reaches for the Stars with Stephan Winkelmann: Direzione Cor Tauri, over the next two years the company will renew its entire line-up and then move forward to release the fourth model which should finally introduce the full electrification at Lamborghini. In the OEM’s history, the Huracán has been an extremely successful ..read more

Today, car companies seem to have generally adopted one single strategy to boost sales and secure their financial performance. Releasing an SUV. And this happens at every level of the market, so in the luxury one too. Porsche has been doing it for years, and each of its SUVs consistently sells around double the numbers of its other models combined (although the EVs addition has changed that slightly). Mercedes, BMW, and Audi are doing the same. At the top end of the market came Bentley, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and soon Ferrari. And all these brands (except for the latter as of now), have e ..read more

A few hours ago, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius went back to the much-discussed Vision EQXX. The focus is again on the impressive range the concept would be capable of. The Vision EQXX was presented first at the beginning of the year and developed in just 18 months. Most importantly, it showcased in numbers all the aspects that Mercedes truly believes are key for the EV sector of tomorrow, and which the OEM has already been pursuing with all the other models of the EQ range (its EV product line). The first two metrics mentioned by Kaellenius himself are in fact drag coefficient and battery ..read more

In 2021 Aston Martin reported strong sales, close again to its 2018 all-time high (just 4% less) almost doubling its 2020 figures. Financial performance too shows positive signs. Despite being still far from that of some of its competitors, every improving metric demonstrates the results of a clear vision for the future of the company that so far has delivered on many promises. Naturally, the OEM is still not out of the woods completely. 2022 and the next few years will be crucial to proving its strategy and product line’s resilience. Special focus will be on the SUV segment which has been on ..read more

The discussion around gender equality has rightfully become central in every field today, whether it is sport, entertainment, or business. Naturally, in those environments that are still mostly male-led, there is a strong cultural component that is not going to change overnight. It certainly requires a gradual education, but it is definitely being helped by continued action ranging from companies governance to dedicated initiatives. In the hope that celebrations like March 8th International Women’s Day will soon be obsolete, here is an overview of the current status of women in the automotive ..read more