The future of the car? Experts discuss challenges: “There is no one-size-fits-all car solution”

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Villain, fun vehicle, driver of innovation; The car has a different meaning for everyone. What role does it play for both of you personally?
Vincent Jarno: I worked in the automotive industry for 15 years. For me, a car is a fun vehicle that I also use for work. Cars are always associated with emotions and that’s what makes them so exciting.
Thomas Sauter Servaes: I am a mechanical engineer by training. The technology behind it has always fascinated me. A single vehicle is not a problem for anyone. But for a few million people, things look different. The car used to be a great problem solver. This is the problem today. The question for me is: Can he be part of the solution again? Can we create a new mobility culture? And that’s true for everyone, especially our environment.

So the car is the bad guy?
Sauter-Servaes: There are two camps; For some, the car is the villain, for others it is a shrine. I want both parties to find each other. One thing is clear: in the future we will no longer be able to afford today’s fossil fuel cars. However, since we have a very close emotional bond with the automobile, this change is not easy. You have to offer people something emotional to get them excited about a new mobility culture. The industry is also facing challenges.

Jarno: In Switzerland, people love to drive beautiful cars. But research shows that many people no longer want to spend that much money on a car. This underlines that the car no longer has the same importance as a status symbol. This opens the door to new forms of mobility such as car sharing or subscription services.

What role do environmental concerns play in this?
Jarno: A big one but not at any cost. Most people are willing to switch to an electric car, but not if they have to pay 30 or 40 percent more. In this sense, we are not yet where we want to be. However, it is very important for the environment that we include everyone on this path.
Sauter-Servaes: We underestimate how quickly we need this change. All sectors in Switzerland, from energy to agriculture, have reduced their emissions. The only thing that can’t do this is traffic. We’re the bad guys on the greenway (laughs). There are many reasons for this; Routine or money, to name just two. However, there is no escape from electric cars. Regulations will enable this change to happen faster than many people imagine today. Because new times will come. And anyone who decides to think forward-looking and solution-oriented today will be among the winners.

Are subscription solutions or car sharing models the right way?
Jarno: Definitely a way. Dealers need to engage with new sales and revenue solutions. Subscription services offer this, you can’t throw everything away. The automotive industry is important to the economy; many jobs and companies depend on it. We must find ways for this sector to survive and transform.

What experiences have you had with your Astara Move subscription offer?
Jarno: Some are skeptical, others are aware of new possibilities. It’s still a small market right now. But we’ve noticed that people generally want more flexibility. Vehicle subscriptions are also attractive from a financial perspective. It makes more sense to rent rather than buy. As a study by Astara shows, the costs of a private car are greatly underestimated.
Sauter-Servaes: I think the skepticism is justified. Many large companies have tried this, but most have given up on the practice. But you must remember: the electric car has also gone through several trials. But when Elon Musk came along, everything changed. The same will happen with sharing. Why does it need to work on the first try?

What are the advantages of sharing or subscription models?
Sauter-Servaes: First of all, flexibility. Our lives are becoming more flexible, so mobility needs to adapt. This plays into the hands of subscription services. The post goes further: in the future we will no longer have space for so many cars in cities. We need more green space, more bike lanes, and less horsepower out there. The other big factor is digitalisation: The more useful such models become, the more widespread they will become. No one can tell me that we won’t be using ChatGPT for mobility anytime soon. I believe that sharing will make you feel more relaxed and mastered.
Jarno: I agree, it will come. This is also important: There is not just one solution, but many solutions. There are different models of car rental, but also different forms of mobility combined with each other: cars, bikes, scooters, public transport, etc. Digitalization will enable new and flexible mobility.

How important are regulations in driving change?
Sauter-Servaes: I hope politics and industry can agree on a common vision. Then there is us, the people who have to break away from old habits. Believe me, no one wants to live in a plus 5 degree world. But mobility routines were and still are extremely stable. E-mobility must become its convenience product. Otherwise he will not be able to dominate.

Is this also valid for the country? The reality is different for many people out there.
Jarno: As I said, there is no solution for everyone. Maybe we need to find other approaches for rural people. Of course, it is easier to buy a car from a subscription service in the city. In rural areas, you’ll need to work with a delivery service that brings people’s cars to their homes. We have had experience with this in Spain: people are interested in it, but ultimately it is a matter of price.
Sauter-Servaes: The country is a bastion of fossil fuel cars. It will take some time for alternative forms of mobility to take hold as they have in cities. But if people in rural areas can charge their electric cars with rooftop solar power and use it as electricity storage, it’s going in the right direction. Since there is no density, it becomes difficult to share. However, if we take the cities with us, a lot has already been achieved.

Does Switzerland present particular challenges when introducing new solutions such as car subscriptions?
Jarno: Switzerland is always special (laughs). Here, for example, it is important for customers that a rental car has a cantonal license plate. In Spain this has never been a problem. But overall, Switzerland is a good place for innovation.
Sauter-Servaes: I feel the same way. After all, we have a very high level of prosperity here. And who should drive the change if it’s not the people with the money to make the change? I believe that good, contemporary proposals can excite the Swiss public about pathways to a sustainable future.

Source: Blick