Dr. Philipp Seidel
Principal
Philipp advises clients in the automotive industry on product and market strategies, sales and after-sales optimization, and new business models for emerging mobility services.
Education
Cath. University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt
Dr. rer. pol., Diploma Business Administration
University Muenster
LL.M.
Past Experience
Ricardo Strategic Consulting
Senior Manager
CU Eichstaett-Ingolstadt
Researcher/Lecturer
Philipp is a Principal at Arthur D. Little’s Munich office. His work focus and expertise are around product, technology and downstream strategies for automotive clients.
A major part of his consulting work has been dedicated to supporting automotive OEMs and suppliers in meeting fleet CO2 targets and growing e-mobility with technology studies, market insight, and the development and implementation of new-product, sales and service strategies. Recently, the identification of innovative business models with mobility services for OEM and new market entrants has become an additional focus area. Philipp has also advised various manufacturers on successfully developing businesses with racetrack, vintage and highly individualized vehicles.
His recent consulting experience includes assignments in Germany and all of Central Europe, the UK, the US and Canada, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
Before joining Arthur D. Little, Philipp worked in the automotive industry (Audi AG), management consulting (Ricardo Strategic Consulting) and science (Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt).
Philipp holds a Diploma and a doctoral degree in Business Administration from Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, and an LL.M. from the University of Muenster (both Germany). He is fluent in German and English.
Opening the urban mine
Creating circular supply chains is essential to the green transition, particularly when it comes to recycling and reusing rare materials. Yet, while many circular economy initiatives may be sustainable, they are not profitable, which hampers their wider development and holds back the achievement of sustainability goals.
Making the shift
When Arthur D. Little (ADL) first set up its Future of Mobility Lab in 2010, there was much optimism that by now, we would have made significant progress toward the goal of more sustainable, resilient, safe, inclusive, efficient, and human-centric mobility systems in our cities. Technological developments — particularly the rapid advances of digitalization, connectivity, and automation — promised the ability to deliver tailored, diverse, and convenient mobility solutions to customers that would be attractive enough to prompt a major shift away from private cars.
ESG: Last call to take effective action
Achieving resilience and sustainability for the EV battery supply chain
However, battery supply chains remain complex, global, and fragile, with many still evolving from scratch. Their resilience is impacted by a growing number of factors, from rising raw material costs to geopolitical disruption. Average battery pack prices have risen in 2022, the first increase since 2013. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, greater regulation, and governments’ desire to localize battery production add to pressure on already-stretched global supply chains. All of these factors lead to potential bottlenecks that affect production.
European battery recycling: An emerging cross-industry convergence
The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and associated battery gigafactories is pushing forward the creation of a European closed-loop battery recycling value chain. Increased recycling demand, intensified EU regulations, and a strong desire to localize supply chains and safeguard critical raw materials is driving multiple opportunities. In this context, as we explore in this Viewpoint, new ecosystems are emerging, and players interested in scaling need to act quickly to take advantage of the current environment.
Transforming car sales in a perfect storm
The effects of the COVID-19 crisis on automotive markets highlight the fragility of the traditional car distribution system and intensify the existing need for change. Ongoing transformations such as EV sales, new car ownership models, process digitalization, and new sales models will challenge financially weakened retailers even more. This is the time to accelerate change processes by reviewing and adapting strategies and investment plans, although financial resources will be limited over the next years.
Automotive: Accelerating disruption through creative destruction
Thanks to the rise of electric vehicles, digital and new ownership models, the automotive market was already facing unprecedented disruption. As this article explains, the impact of COVID-19 on newcar sales accelerates the need for radical change – now is the time to turbocharge transformation efforts and seize opportunities to thrive in a post-ICE era.
Future car sales – how to go direct?
The physical retail store for goods and services is losing ground to new sales models and channels. Online retail, often in a direct sales set-up, continues to gain market share in almost every product category. In the automotive industry, players such as Tesla and electric vehicle (EV) start-ups, without existing widespread sales networks, sell directly through new channels, including online, urban boutiques and pop-up stores. Besides more variety in sales formats, this allows for limiting of retail costs and payout of margins to dealer networks.
Win the automotive COVID-19 rebound
Economic lockdowns in the COVID-19 crisis have quickly and severely compromised the automotive supply chain and dealerships in unprecedented ways – car sales dropped by up to 80 percent in one month and production was stopped for weeks. The recession after the crisis will cut global car demand by multi-digit percentages in 2020, followed by a slow recovery that will lag behind GDP rebound by one or two years.
Effective electric vehicle launch in Europe – Thinking beyond big markets
From 2017 to 2018, electric vehicle sales in EU/EFTA countries grew significantly, by almost 40 percent (Battery Electric Vehicle (BEVs) at almost 50 percent). The EV share of sales was, however, only at 2.3 percent – more than half of which were BEVs. Markets in the region developed very differently, with approximately 25 percent of all BEV sales driven by Norway. Nonetheless, to meet ambitious emission reduction targets and emerging customer demand, and to benefit from growing government support, car manufacturers are starting to launch EVs in smaller European markets as well.
Autonomous machines in the fast lane?
Imagine a field with a fleet of unmanned harvesters or a quarry in which driverless trucks transport rocks. Is this a sciencefiction scene? It actually is not: off-highway (OH) vehicles, primarily or exclusively used on private property, are autonomous pioneers in many ways. All major OEMs develop autonomous machines, and globally, hundreds of vehicles already run driverless in mines, warehouses and, surprisingly, golf courses.
After the hype: Where is the carbon car?
In 2013, the “carbon hype” in the automotive industry reached a peak when BMW presented an electric mega-city vehicle, the i3, with a fully carbon body. At that time, EVs and stricter CO2 targets were expected to bring the breakthrough for carbon fiber cars. However, five years later, applications for carbon composites are still lacking in mass-market passenger cars, and OEMs have shifted focus back to light metals. Carbon parts still struggle to meet the industrial and economical requirements of car manufacturing.
Philipp is a Principal at Arthur D. Little’s Munich office. His work focus and expertise are around product, technology and downstream strategies for automotive clients.
A major part of his consulting work has been dedicated to supporting automotive OEMs and suppliers in meeting fleet CO2 targets and growing e-mobility with technology studies, market insight, and the development and implementation of new-product, sales and service strategies. Recently, the identification of innovative business models with mobility services for OEM and new market entrants has become an additional focus area. Philipp has also advised various manufacturers on successfully developing businesses with racetrack, vintage and highly individualized vehicles.
His recent consulting experience includes assignments in Germany and all of Central Europe, the UK, the US and Canada, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
Before joining Arthur D. Little, Philipp worked in the automotive industry (Audi AG), management consulting (Ricardo Strategic Consulting) and science (Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt).
Philipp holds a Diploma and a doctoral degree in Business Administration from Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, and an LL.M. from the University of Muenster (both Germany). He is fluent in German and English.
Opening the urban mine
Creating circular supply chains is essential to the green transition, particularly when it comes to recycling and reusing rare materials. Yet, while many circular economy initiatives may be sustainable, they are not profitable, which hampers their wider development and holds back the achievement of sustainability goals.
Making the shift
When Arthur D. Little (ADL) first set up its Future of Mobility Lab in 2010, there was much optimism that by now, we would have made significant progress toward the goal of more sustainable, resilient, safe, inclusive, efficient, and human-centric mobility systems in our cities. Technological developments — particularly the rapid advances of digitalization, connectivity, and automation — promised the ability to deliver tailored, diverse, and convenient mobility solutions to customers that would be attractive enough to prompt a major shift away from private cars.
ESG: Last call to take effective action
Achieving resilience and sustainability for the EV battery supply chain
However, battery supply chains remain complex, global, and fragile, with many still evolving from scratch. Their resilience is impacted by a growing number of factors, from rising raw material costs to geopolitical disruption. Average battery pack prices have risen in 2022, the first increase since 2013. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, greater regulation, and governments’ desire to localize battery production add to pressure on already-stretched global supply chains. All of these factors lead to potential bottlenecks that affect production.
European battery recycling: An emerging cross-industry convergence
The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and associated battery gigafactories is pushing forward the creation of a European closed-loop battery recycling value chain. Increased recycling demand, intensified EU regulations, and a strong desire to localize supply chains and safeguard critical raw materials is driving multiple opportunities. In this context, as we explore in this Viewpoint, new ecosystems are emerging, and players interested in scaling need to act quickly to take advantage of the current environment.
Transforming car sales in a perfect storm
The effects of the COVID-19 crisis on automotive markets highlight the fragility of the traditional car distribution system and intensify the existing need for change. Ongoing transformations such as EV sales, new car ownership models, process digitalization, and new sales models will challenge financially weakened retailers even more. This is the time to accelerate change processes by reviewing and adapting strategies and investment plans, although financial resources will be limited over the next years.
Automotive: Accelerating disruption through creative destruction
Thanks to the rise of electric vehicles, digital and new ownership models, the automotive market was already facing unprecedented disruption. As this article explains, the impact of COVID-19 on newcar sales accelerates the need for radical change – now is the time to turbocharge transformation efforts and seize opportunities to thrive in a post-ICE era.
Future car sales – how to go direct?
The physical retail store for goods and services is losing ground to new sales models and channels. Online retail, often in a direct sales set-up, continues to gain market share in almost every product category. In the automotive industry, players such as Tesla and electric vehicle (EV) start-ups, without existing widespread sales networks, sell directly through new channels, including online, urban boutiques and pop-up stores. Besides more variety in sales formats, this allows for limiting of retail costs and payout of margins to dealer networks.
Win the automotive COVID-19 rebound
Economic lockdowns in the COVID-19 crisis have quickly and severely compromised the automotive supply chain and dealerships in unprecedented ways – car sales dropped by up to 80 percent in one month and production was stopped for weeks. The recession after the crisis will cut global car demand by multi-digit percentages in 2020, followed by a slow recovery that will lag behind GDP rebound by one or two years.
Effective electric vehicle launch in Europe – Thinking beyond big markets
From 2017 to 2018, electric vehicle sales in EU/EFTA countries grew significantly, by almost 40 percent (Battery Electric Vehicle (BEVs) at almost 50 percent). The EV share of sales was, however, only at 2.3 percent – more than half of which were BEVs. Markets in the region developed very differently, with approximately 25 percent of all BEV sales driven by Norway. Nonetheless, to meet ambitious emission reduction targets and emerging customer demand, and to benefit from growing government support, car manufacturers are starting to launch EVs in smaller European markets as well.
Autonomous machines in the fast lane?
Imagine a field with a fleet of unmanned harvesters or a quarry in which driverless trucks transport rocks. Is this a sciencefiction scene? It actually is not: off-highway (OH) vehicles, primarily or exclusively used on private property, are autonomous pioneers in many ways. All major OEMs develop autonomous machines, and globally, hundreds of vehicles already run driverless in mines, warehouses and, surprisingly, golf courses.
After the hype: Where is the carbon car?
In 2013, the “carbon hype” in the automotive industry reached a peak when BMW presented an electric mega-city vehicle, the i3, with a fully carbon body. At that time, EVs and stricter CO2 targets were expected to bring the breakthrough for carbon fiber cars. However, five years later, applications for carbon composites are still lacking in mass-market passenger cars, and OEMs have shifted focus back to light metals. Carbon parts still struggle to meet the industrial and economical requirements of car manufacturing.
More About Philipp
- Cath. University Eichstaett-IngolstadtDr. rer. pol., Diploma Business Administration
- University MuensterLL.M.
- Ricardo Strategic ConsultingSenior Manager
- CU Eichstaett-IngolstadtResearcher/Lecturer