Traditionally the automotive industry has played an important role in supporting the UK economy, contributing an impressive £20.2 billion in 2017 alone. However, as with most industries, Covid-19 has impacted and disrupted this highly profitable industry over the past couple of months.
According to Deloitte, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a swift and severe impact on the globally integrated automotive industry. Symptoms include a disruption in Chinese parts exports, large scale manufacturing interruptions across Europe, and the closure of assembly plants in the United States. This is placing intense pressure on an industry already coping with a downshift in global consumer demand.
However, as life begins to slowly return to some form of normality and government restrictions begin to lift, we need to now take some time to look at how the automotive industry can get back to business. What messages do they need to communicate with their customers? How can they entice consumers back to their showrooms and instil confidence that all health and safety measures have been put in place?