Do you still remember brands like Nokia and Blackberry? Maybe a Motorola? These were the most popular brands of so-called GSM phones, which quickly disappeared from the world scene with the arrival of the touch-screen smartphone - the iPhone. A similar, almost identical story is happening in the automotive industry, but this time the reason for the change will not be electrification or replacement of the energy source in cars. Cars will become a new product category due to a different type of technology. Due to this technological revolution, some car brands will simply disappear. Let's see why most European car brands will disappear by 2035.
Major technological shifts happen almost every 10 years. In the eighties we got personal computers. In the 1990s, the rapid development of the Internet took place, which changed the way information was obtained. Shortly after the turn of the millennium, we got smartphones, which quickly replaced the classic GSM push-button phones - I myself immediately traded my Blackberry for an iPhone. At the same time, social media developed, which completely changed the media landscape a decade later. He came, for example, Netflix. In the last ten years, we have witnessed the development of the cloud, machine learning and artificial intelligence. This will completely change many industries, the automotive industry will certainly be among the first. Today, therefore, we perceive a combination of several factors that will mark the transition, due to which certain car brands, despite their centuries-old tradition, will simply disappear. This is not unusual and has happened countless times throughout history! So let's see why most European car brands will disappear by 2035.
So here we go “the Nokia moment". There have been many such moments in history: Apple replaced Blackberry, Netflix replaced Blockbuster, digital photography beat Kodak, Uber replaced taxi drivers, and Amazon replaced bookstores.
So what is happening in history is happening happened countless times. It is the so-called shift or displacement.
Let's look at the reasons why the car industry will disappear in the EU.
Replacing the energy source is not the biggest problem of the European industry
When you read prophetic articles online like the article on AutoBlog (https://www.autoblog.com/news/which-brands-may-not-survive-the-ev-transition), who predict the collapse of the automobile industry due to the transition to a new energy source, let me emphasize that changing the energy source will not be the main problem - but it will definitely be one of the factors. There are indeed many changes. Electricity is the smallest.
I myself believe that we Europeans are fully capable of producing excellent electric cars. One such is definitely the Porsche Taycan, which proves that the European industry can produce a car that charges quickly, is great to drive and is probably the best electric car of the moment.
It is true, however, that the European industry has considerable difficulties in adapting and enforcing these innovations in lower car classes. With their vehicles in these segments, the Chinese are definitely ahead of Europe and have a technological advantage that is measured in years, practically in generations of vehicles. For example, if the Taycan's 800-volt charging architecture technology were transferred to the new ones Volkswagen ID.7 , the latter could also replace the diesel Passat in terms of charging characteristics and be dominant over Chinese manufacturers. Right now! Volkswagen would secure an "unsuspected" advantage. So, he keeps these innovations only for "premium" products. At the same time, it "creates" an apparent but significant lag behind the competition. Why?! Because of greed and desire for profit!
Europe has another big challenge – in the rich mining areas, the ownership of which is in Chinese hands. The Chinese last 20 years they are strategically buying mines around the world with the aim of monopolizing the production of batteries for the automotive industry. For two decades, they have known that competitiveness requires foresight and strategy, which is different from European industry. We will not manufacture batteries in Europe; we will always be in a dependent relationship in this segment. Here, we have already missed the basics.
Corporate management of automotive concerns vs. start-up culture
The essential difference between classic car concerns and companies like Tesla, and Chinese start-ups is in the entrepreneurial culture. While Tesla boasting the start-up culture of Silicon Valley, this concept has also been internalized by fresh Chinese manufacturers. Such companies are able to adapt extremely quickly, which makes them competitive with large conglomerates, where decision-making is much more democratic, and even trade unions interfere in decision-making processes.
Volkswagen otherwise it can, but it won't be able to change its corporate culture to adapt to a rapidly changing world, in part because of the promises to workers of the 30-year tenure that every Volkswagen employee receives. Quick changes will therefore not be possible.
Meanwhile, Chinese start-ups with unlimited funds are hiring the best and most promising European staff and they develop their vehicles in Gothenburg, Sweden, i.e. in Europe.
Changed the process of production and development of cars - the industrial revolution
It has been clear to everyone who has at least a little knowledge of the automotive industry that the development of cars has changed radically. If it was once considered that each new generation of a model was created for eight years, with renovations every four years, today Tesla develops its vehicles continuously, similar to the development of software that never stops. Every few years otherwise slightly refreshes the appearance of the car, but in truth, development under the sheet metal never stands still. Tesla is at models 3 and Y removed many components in recent years: radar replaced by the Vision system, ultrasonic sensors, rain and air temperature sensors, passenger seat lumbar support and electric steering wheel adjustment. This means weight savings and more reduction of production costs. The goal is to provide the best possible, reliable vehicle in as many quantities as possible, while at the same time replacing parts in the car that prove to be unreliable and subject to breakdowns.
Optimizing the above-mentioned components may seem like unnecessary savings to some, but if it does not affect the user experience, it significantly reduces costs and increases profitability, which is certainly justified. This is also why Tesla can lower the prices of its cars despite inflation and other factors.
It is necessary to realize that Tesla and Chinese competitors every three months they introduce an "updated" version of the hardware to the roads. For example, Chinese manufacturer Zeeker has delivered three versions of its Zeeker 001 to customers in the last 12 months with significantly changed features, which has led to some negative reactions in China, even protests from customers who felt cheated.
Not only is there a development revolution, but a revolution in car manufacturing itself, comparable to the introduction of the assembly line for Ford's Model T. Robotization in these factories is advancing so quickly that very few workers will soon be needed. That's also why Tesla is developing the Optimus robot, which will first replace Tesla workers, and later workers in other industries - and probably soon will replace you too. Tesla is not alone in this; a similar robot is also being developed by BMW with Figure01 and Hyundai, which acquired a majority stake in Boston Dynamics two years ago. It's those robot dogs...and a lot more.
Artificial intelligence and the self-driving smart car
Cars are no longer just cars - they have become a new type of product - or rather, they are in the process of creating a new category. Similar to replacing a classic mechanical watch with a smart watch. Let me explain. Both the classic watch and the smart watch primarily show the time. Their basic function is the same. From this function onwards, it is a second category of product, which has little in common with the first.
Everyone Tesla car since 2016 it has a camera system and a special computer for FSD (Full Self Driving) – currently there have been several major updates, but the basis remains very similar. It is about five million cars that in recent years act as a "bank" of driving memories and help artificial intelligence algorithms to learn from the best drivers. All these cars are with the latest system update FSD acquired the possibility of independent driving with driver control. In US states like California and Texas, Teslas with an active subscription for $99 a month or a prepaid FSD system drive autonomously. Waymo taxi, Google's self-driving car service that transports passengers without a driver in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, works similarly.
From this "evidence" material, we can conclude that humanity has managed to develop sufficiently advanced artificial intelligence, which in the case of Tesla is capable of driving only with "sight", without additional sensors, and is very comparable to human performance in traffic. The technology is not yet perfect, but it seems that we have already surpassed it 99.9 % stage of development, and the first to hit 100 %s will most likely be Tesla.
What is especially scary is Tesla's strategic leap ahead of all others. It is predicted that by the end of the year - November 2025 - a Tesla taxi will hit the roads CyberCab without steering wheel. For this, for the first time in Tesla's history, everything should be ready on time and in accordance with forecasts. So this time it should be realistic predictions.
The employees will become a kind of Uber test drivers
According to several online sources and rumors, Tesla employees are said to have already started testing an app for a self-driving taxi service similar to Uber, and it is said that by transporting passengers and monitoring the performance FSD started as early as the beginning of 2025. By the middle of the year, every Tesla owner should have the opportunity to transport passengers with their Tesla in the afternoon with an activated FSD system under human control. Based on this information, the launch of CyberCab at the end of 2025 is actually the turning point when the general public will understand that we have a new product category – a smart self-driving car. Of course, we will have problems with it in the EU due to the limited possibilities of this type of technology, and in America, in 2026, cars will drive themselves.
And since every technological revolution takes at least 10 years, I believe this will become the standard by 2036. So a car with a self-driving function.
Conclusion: 10 car brands that will be gone by the end of 2035
Tesla isn't the only brand developing self-driving cars, but it's the one with the most potential. It is important to emphasize that Elon Musk founded the company OpenAI and invited Sam Altman and other experts. Elon Musk is actually the "father" of the widely known ChatGPT. Thanks to Tesla's many years of work in the field of artificial intelligence (and the "taken" experts from OpenAI), Tesla's Grok GPT is rapidly approaching the capabilities ChatGPT, because Tesla has been developing artificial intelligence for a specific area for years - for a revolution and a new category of product that has not changed radically for the last hundred years - the car. All these signs show that Tesla is actually the biggest AI company in the world, with the most realistic and massive product – the car.
Observing the mobility of Tesla's robot Optimus, it becomes clear that it is Tesla Model 2 actually CyberCab. So we quickly realize that we are on the verge of a revolution, which is not just an evolution of a well-known product, but a new category in which there is not much room for old brands
In a recent conversation with investors posted on YouTube, Elon Musk emphasized that there will be no car under $25,000, as Tesla's sole focus is Full Self Driving. So the Model 2 is really a CyberCab.
But in the end, if we return to the basic question and the title of this post - 10 car brands that will be gone by the end of 2035?
European car brands that are unlikely to disappear
Traditional luxury brands, such as Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Bugatti, remain resilient to technological changes such as artificial intelligence and electrification. These brands, which focus on exceptional performance and prestige, are the most likely to survive the transition to autonomous mobility. Nevertheless, the ownership of these companies could change in the future, as they become more and more interesting for investors who recognize the value in prestigious brands, even if they adapt to new trends. It is a kind of new-age "Swiss watches" - brands that are similar to "classic" watches.
Brands that will have a harder time adapting to smart cars
One of the biggest challenges awaits the Stellantis group with the brands Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Peugeot and Opel. Of course, some of these brands will remain, maybe change owners or act as development "centers" of the group and thus take a step forward and overtake the others in the group. But it will take a lot of courage. Among the brands that will have serious problems, we can also count Renault and Dacia, which in recent years have not invested much in the field of artificial intelligence, which is already known in the safety and performance of certain driving assistants, which have gone from leaders to followers.
The entire group can also join this list VAG with stamps Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Cupra and Škoda. Exceptions are premium brands such as Lamborghini and Bentley, which will remain part of the "classic" automotive heritage. So in the category of classic watches. BMW remains a big question and it is the brand of the "holy trinity" that seems to be the most vulnerable at the moment. Their electric cars are average and their assistance systems lag behind the Chinese competition. I see more opportunities for the future with the Mercedes brand. Also at the expense of the fact that Mercedes-Benz has grasped the "main" things in the last period and that the products are as they are Mercedes-Benz CLA the coming generations promise a lot. Above all, extremely low consumption, which will enable good ranges with a smaller battery. So the philosophy of Tesla is captured.
Everything shows that the future of the automotive industry will not be only in development new models, but in a complete transformation of himself concept car as a product. Tesla, with its revolutionary approach to artificial intelligence and autonomous driving, is leading this transition and setting new standards that will be elusive for many traditional brands. While luxury and prestige brands are likely to remain in the market as they focus on exceptional driveability and prestige, most traditional brands will have to adapt or risk disappearing. Until 2035 smart, autonomous cars will dominate the market, and only those brands that manage to incorporate new technology and respond quickly to change will continue to play an important role in the automotive industry of the future.
