Fuel For Thought

Global vehicle sales have barely moved compared to 2019. Yet one shift has changed the industry more than any demand cycle, regulation, or technology trend: Chinese OEMs have doubled their share of global sales. For Western automakers, this presents a major competitive threat.

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In this edition of Fuel for Thought, we’re looking ahead to 2027 through the lens of OEM strategy—at a time when demand is constrained, affordability is calling the shots, and competition is getting sharper by the quarter.

The core tension is simple: households are still stretched, vehicle prices remain high, and the market is more volatile and more regional than it’s been in years. Meanwhile, the competitive bar is moving: faster development cycles, lower cost structures, and bigger questions about who owns the tech stack.

Our host Guido Vildozo speaks with Thomas Meininger, Executive Director, Global Vehicle Demand Group, Mobility Global, to understand the latest cars sales trends heading into 2027 and learn where OEMs should prioritize their strategic investments. 

Editor's note: This podcast was originally published on May 11, 2026. Due to technical difficulties, it was republished on August 3. 

Automotive procurement and planning leaders face a growing concern in 2026: A structural tightening in the supply of DRAM chips that underpin modern vehicle electronics.

DRAM suppliers are reallocating capacity toward AI data‑center applications, where memory‑intensive GPUs are absorbing a disproportionate share of manufacturing resources. The impact for automakers is higher prices and tighter availability, particularly for older generations of automotive‑grade DRAM.

Speakers: 

Automotive procurement and planning leaders face a growing concern in 2026: A structural tightening in the supply of DRAM chips that underpin modern vehicle electronics.

DRAM suppliers are reallocating capacity toward AI data‑center applications, where memory‑intensive GPUs are absorbing a disproportionate share of manufacturing resources. The impact for automakers is higher prices and tighter availability, particularly for older generations of automotive‑grade DRAM. In this episode of Fuel for Thought, we're sharing a clip from our recent webinar with Automotive News on how OEMs can navigate this landscape over the next several years.

Speakers:

• Jeremie Bouchaud, Executive Director, Supply Chain and Technology, S&P Global Mobility
• Guido Vildozo, Associate Director, Consulting, S&P Global Mobility (Host)

With average monthly car payments pushing toward $800 and nearly 20% of US consumers making $1,000 payments, buyers are weighing brand attachment against purchasing reality.  

Recent automotive market analysis shows that affordability pressures are fundamentally changing car buyer behavior, creating new risks for retention but also new opportunities for conquest. 

The result is a market in motion: Households that once returned reliably to brands and models are now open to change. Sellers that understand this dynamic will be best positioned to capture the moment. 

Participants: 

• Guido Vildozo, Associate Director, Consulting, S&P Global Mobility (Host)

For North American automakers, the familiar megatrends of electrification, regionalization, the rise of Chinese competitors, technological transformation, and supply chain resilience are evolving amid global supply risks and shifting regulatory pressures.

Our latest whitepaper, The next phase of automotive megatrends, explores how regulatory uncertainty, affordability pressures, shifting consumer expectations, and global supply risks are reshaping strategy for OEMs across the region. From upcoming USMCA negotiations to new semiconductor shortages, our host Guido Vildozo sits down with the whitepaper authors to discuss what's truly different in this next phase—and what leaders should be doing now to prepare.

Participants:

• Guido Vildozo, Associate Director, Consulting, S&P Global Mobility (Host)

Over the past year, automotive suppliers have navigated shifting tariff regimes, geopolitical uncertainty, uneven EV demand, and rising expectations around software, sustainability, and resilience.

So why are many suppliers still optimistic?

To find out, S&P Global Mobility expert Matthew Beecham spoke with 59 senior executives across the global automotive supply chain to understand how they're adapting to this new normal.

With disruption now a constant rather than an exception, suppliers are prioritizing resilience through ecosystem partnerships, long-term technology investments, and proactive growth strategies. Instead of waiting for conditions to stabilize, they're rethinking how and where to compete.

In this episode of Fuel for Thought, Matthew joins our host Guido Vildozo to unpack the key takeaways from these conversations—and what supplier sentiment signals for OEMs, investors, and policymakers right now.

Speakers:

• Matthew Beecham, AutoTechInsight Research Manager, S&P Global Mobility

As we approach 2026, the automotive industry is bracing for yet another potential crisis: a shortage of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips.

This anticipated shortage will not be quite as dramatic as the 2021 crisis—which prevented more than 10 million cars from being built that year—but could potentially be more disruptive and long-lasting than the 2025 Nexperia incident.

DRAM is found in the compute-heavy systems in cars, namely in cockpit and in ADAS/Autonomy systems. However, major DRAM manufacturers are increasingly reallocating their wafer capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI data centers.

The profitability and demand for HBM far exceed those of traditional automotive applications, leaving automakers increasingly vulnerable to an automotive supply chain crunch that could rival the previous shortages.

In this episode of Fuel for Thought, we dive deeper into the shortage and explain what automakers need to do in order to adapt.

Speakers:

• Jeremie Bouchaud, Executive Director, Supply Chain and Technology, S&P Global Mobility

Chinese automakers are not only reshaping their domestic market but are also becoming formidable players on the international stage. Their aggressive expansion into overseas markets, driven by a combination of competitive pricing, innovative technology, and strategic partnerships, poses both challenges and opportunities for established automakers.

Moreover, as trade barriers and regulatory changes emerge in various regions, understanding how Chinese manufacturers adapt can provide valuable insights into the future of global automotive supply chains.

In this episode of Fuel for Thought, we discuss how Chinese automakers are navigating global markets, the impact of tariffs and trade barriers, and the strategies these automakers are employing to expand their footprint.

Speakers:

• Abby Tu, Principal Research Analyst, S&P Global Mobility

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A decade ago, the path toward full electrification seemed clear. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were seen as the inevitable future. But fast forward to today and that once-shared vision has fractured.

Different regions are now taking distinctly different routes shaped by policy shifts, consumer sentiment, and economic realities.

In this episode of Fuel for Thought, we unpack how these divergent strategies are influencing production planning, why transitional technologies like PHEVs and REEVs are gaining renewed relevance, and how scenario-based forecasting can help automakers stay agile in this fragmented market.

Speakers:

• A. Saboor Imran, Principal Analyst, EMEA Light Vehicle Powertrain Forecasting, S&P Global Mobility