The swiss Center for Automotive Research (swiss CAR), founded in 2005, creates an environment that enables the conduct of relevant and empirical research in an industry that is innovative in its products, processes, and technologies, core to Europe’s economy, and broad enough to study from various perspectives and over a longer period of time. Establishing competence on the industry’s specifics and maintaining long-term relationships with companies in this industry has allowed for the identification and framing of research problems highly relevant to the industry as well as exceptional access to empirical data. A research team of doctoral students, guest researchers, interns, and partly temporary personnel constitutes the center which is concerned with Technology- and Innovation Management-related studies. The center is known to national and international companies and to industry and governmental associations. Also, it is part of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovations (PVMI).

New Article on 20 Minuten

This week, 20 Minuten published an article about rising car prices due to shortage of raw materials. Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze was cited as an expert for the automotive market and Director of the Swiss Center for Automotive Research.

The key takeaways from the article were the following:

• Raw materials such as nickel, lithium, palladium and neon are in short supply because of the Ukraine war.
• This has consequences for car buyers: They now have to wait longer for their new cars.
• Car prices are also likely to rise further due to the shortage of raw materials.
• Car manufacturers could now switch to alternative materials

Read more about it here

On January 27th, Anja Schulze was a selected speaker at the Webinar by the Georgia State University. With a panel of global experts from both industry and academia, this webinar explored the types of product possibilities that are emerging in the automotive industry, the nature of the companies that will compete in this emerging space, and the implications for associated industries and supply chains.

Considered questions include:

(1) Will regions of the world adopt similar technologies? That is, will there be standardization of protocols and service products across geographic markets?

(2) What are the implications for emerging markets versus developed markets?

(3) What types of products can we expect to see in the near term and farther into the future?

The Webinar can be rewatched here.

Article in the St. Galler Tagblatt “China beflügelt deutsche Autobauer” (PDF, 335 KB)(“China inspires German carmakers”) cited the recent edition of the Swiss Center for Automotive Research study series on the Swiss automotive industry directed by Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze.

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze comments in the SRF broadcast "2020 war kein gutes Jahr für die Automobilbranche" ("2020 was not a good year for the automotive industry") on the state of the automotive industry after the 2020 pandemic.

Article (PDF, 627 KB) in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung “Wieso scheitert Apple beim Autobau immer wieder?” (“Why does Apple keep failing to build cars?”) about the possible Apple's entry into the auto market with comments of Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze.

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze was appeared on the list of strong women who move the automotive industry compiled by the Swiss news portal Blick Online: “Die stärksten Frauen der Autowelt: Waghalsig, innovativ und auch knallhart” (PDF, 1022 KB) (“The strongest women in the automotive world: daring, innovative and tough”)

The next Digital Society Initiative (DSI) Lecture Series will be organized by the DSI - Challenge Area Mobility and scheduled in spring semester 2021. The topics will cover the research of DSI Mobility group whereas each area (mobile individuals, mobile societies and mobile systems) will be represented. Presentations will be delivered by DSI Mobility group members but also invited speakers. More information about the Lecture Series, including the program, can be found here.

An interview with Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze about the implications of the Corona virus crisis on the Swiss automotive sector “Zu früh für Schlussfolgerungen” (“Too early to draw conclusions”) was published in the magazine Autoinside.  

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze commented on the consequences of the Corona virus crisis for Swiss automotive sector in an article of Blick online: “Das grosse Corona-Zittern” (“The great corona tremor”). 

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze commented on the impact of synthetic fuel and alternative drive systems for climate protection in 20 Minuten Online: “8 Rappen mehr fürs Benzin sollen das Klima retten“ (“8 cents more for petrol should save the climate”). The article can be accessed here. 

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze commented on the state of Swiss automotive sector in an article of Automobilrevue: “Optimistisch auf der Stotterbremse” (“Optimistic about the cadence braking”). 

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze was asked to comment about the implications of the Corona virus crisis on the Swiss automotive supplier industry in the Handelszeitung Online: “Coronavirus: Infektionsgefahr für Autozulieferer” (PDF, 5 MB) (“Coronavirus: Infection risk for automotive suppliers”)

An interview with Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze about the implications of the Corona virus crisis on the Swiss automotive industry “Hustet Deutschland, hustet die Schweiz” (PDF, 1 MB) was published by the Swiss news portal Blick.ch. 

The Swiss journal Schweizer Illustrierte interviewed Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze on e-mobility trends in the Swiss automotive industry and on the Corona virus crisis “Derzeit fahren alle auf Sicht” (PDF, 1 MB).

A TV Clip with comments of Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze about technological changes in the automotive industry and their effect on the Swiss market came out in the TOP FOKUS series. The clip can be seen here (Dienstag edition).

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze commented on the impact of electric motors for Swiss automotive supplier industry in an article of Watson news portal: “China stoppt E-Auto-Förderung früher als geplant – und diktiert Europa so das Tempo” (“China stops promoting e-cars earlier than planned - and thus dictates the pace to Europe”).

Prof. Dr. Anja Schulze was asked to comment on the recent trends and structural changes in the Swiss automotive industry in SRF "Wenn Deutschland die Grippe hat, hustet die Schweiz" ("When Germany has the flu, Switzerland coughs"). The article can be accessed here.

Upcoming Information Event by s-ge

Switzerland Global Enterprise in cooperation with the Swiss Business Hub Mexico will hold an information event about the current development in the Mexican automotive industry. The event is an excellent opportunity for Swiss companies to get an expert update of the market, hear company testimonials and get contacts from experienced market entrants.
 
For more information about the event and to register

January 17, 2019

The swiss Center for Automotive Research has published the third edition of the study "Automobilindustrie Schweiz". If you are interested in the study, please contact us at swiss-car@business.uzh.ch.

Automobilindustrie, Schweiz. Branchenanalyse 2013, Aktuelle Bestandesaufnahme von Struktur, Trends, Herausforderungen und Chancen (PDF, 12 MB)

Automobilindustrie, Schweiz. Branchenanalyse 2008, Aktuelle Bestandsaufnahme von Struktur, Trends, Herausforderungen und Chancen (PDF, 4 MB)

Automotive Industry Switzerland, Industry Analysis 2008, Structure, trends, challenges, and opportunities (PDF, 4 MB)