SURVIVING POSSIBLE?

A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES IN THE GERMAN AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER INDUSTRY, DUE TO AUTONOMOUS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Abstract

The importance of the automotive industry for Germany’s economy and employment is significant: 24% of total revenue for manufacturing and processing goods is gained by the automotive industry in Germany with over 800,000 employees. As the supply side contributes 3/4 to the value chain, the research focuses on German automotive suppliers and how they perceive the shift from combustion engines to electric engines and to fully autonomous vehicles. For the explorative study, a qualitative content analysis based on expert interviews was used. 15 top and high-level managers from 14 German automotive suppliers were personally interviewed. The analysis has proven that most suppliers are significantly affected through these transformations. Only three suppliers evaluate the changes mainly as growth drivers for their business, while the rest faces large challenges and great threats from the industry developments.