Michel Forisser, former technical and marketing director at Valeo, argues that the automotive industry is entering a transformation deeper than anything it has faced in more than a century. In his view, the combined impact of electrification, autonomous vehicles and robotaxis will fundamentally reshape the sector’s economics, technology and competitive balance.
Speaking bluntly, Forisser says European carmakers face an existential challenge: if they do not reinvent themselves, the European automotive industry will die. His warning reflects the scale of the shift now underway, which he presents not as a cyclical downturn but as a structural upheaval affecting the entire industry chain.
The article, published by VIPress.net, frames this transition as one of the most significant in automotive history, with established manufacturers forced to adapt to new mobility models and technologies or risk being left behind.