Interviewer: CSM Worldwide's Light Vehicle Sales group is launching a new product. What will this new product entail?
Henner Lehne: The Advanced Light Vehicle Sales Forecast service will be the new industry standard for automotive forecasting and analysis, providing comprehensive and reliable future model cycle plans and forecast volumes. Not only will it contain bodytype-level information, but also shows the production origin plant of the vehicle.
Interviewer: How will the Advanced Light Vehicle Sales Forecast product differ from the current product?
Henner Lehne: The additional level of detail in the data fields and forecast volumes is only one part of the delivery. Clients will also receive in-depth analysis for the key markets, including deep dives for the 20 largest volume countries. For each country, CSM provides commentary and product launch timing for each segment and for top-volume OEMs. Additionally, clients will receive analysis on segment ages, OEM strategies, distribution channels, OEM portfolio age, production sourcing patterns and much more. All of this analysis will be available via CSM's new AutoBase 4.0.
Interviewer: Who will gain the most value from the Advanced Light Vehicle Sales Forecast?
Henner Lehne: The new Advanced Light Vehicle Sales Forecast was built for the competitive demands of OEM's strategic sales and marketing divisions. However, we have designed this product to suit the needs of others. For example, parts suppliers can utilize the service for part production application rates based on sales destination. Financial firms will be able to forecast anticipated market revenue and taxation. And logistics firms to determine OEMs' plant production sourcing strategies and volumes to various sales destinations.
Interviewer: What is the methodology behind the Advanced forecast?
Henner Lehne: Over the last two years we have greatly enhanced our methodologies, starting with the Total Industry Volume calculations which underwent an improvement process: working to more closely tie-in macroeconomic data streams along with changes in car parc and resulting replacement demand. By adding the bodytype level, vehicle lifecycle analysis has also improved significantly and couples with our competition matrix to provide the foundation of this forecast. This new level of detail also ensures the sales service now can fully utilize CSM's industry-leading future product intelligence.
