Well, that’s about it for this year. It just remains for me to sign off and wish you all the best for the festive season and the year ahead.
The just-auto editorial department will be having a festive break and we’ll be back in your inbox on January 2, 2009.
At least we here are fortunate enough to get a voluntary holiday break. For some the break this year will be involuntary and indefinite.
These have been – and still are – testing times for many and thoughts at this time are with those who have lost their jobs.
As a contributor to the just-auto forums recently noted, the numbers themselves also represent more than the pecuniary saving. There’s a real human cost. It’s big and hard to quantify. Many lives, at the very least, are disrupted, livelihoods or careers lost or damaged. Whole families are impacted. In this industry at least, many companies have displayed an admirable degree of humanity as they attempt to transform in these trying times, looking to minimise human misery, however bad the situation may be – and that’s good to see.
Let me at least end on a positive note. Restructuring and cost cutting, though painful, will be making many companies leaner and fitter. Energies will be focused much more intensely on what really works and gets a return. This is a resilient industry that has been adapting to one of the great challenges of our time in the shape of the environment. Getting through this recession in good shape is another challenge to face.
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And when you look at some of the new products launched or coming and some of the research and development work going on, there’s good reason to feel optimistic about this industry and its future prospects. It makes products that excite and are still at the very core of our lifestyle.
In emerging markets cars and car brands are hugely aspirational and those markets will continue to grow in the future. People love cars. And commercial vehicles are the lifeblood of the economy. This industry may be undergoing change but it isn’t going away.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone out there a happy, successful and peaceful 2009.
I would also like to thank the dedicated team around me – on the staff and also the freelance contributors – that create just-auto and also you for your continued support.
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By GlobalData2009 will be a challenging year in the automotive industry globally, but when was that not the case?
Dave Leggett
Editor
