The Next Five
The Next Five is the FT’s partner-supported podcast, exploring the future of industries through expert insights and thought-provoking discussions with host, Tom Parker. Each episode brings together leading voices to analyse the trends, innovations, challenges and opportunities shaping the next five years in business, geo politics, technology, health and lifestyle.
Latest Episode
13 October 2026
49. Systems Rewritten: Automotive
Trade Nation
From Horsepower to Hardware: The High-Stakes Carmaker Pivot
Imagine it’s 2006, not 2026. You’re an automobile factory manager, looking at combustion engine vehicles moving through the assembly line. A sight that has been seen since the Model T Ford, a century earlier.
Today, you’re still watching legacy internal combustion engines roll off one side but high-voltage battery packs drop into electric chassis on the other. Electric vehicles could account for just over a quarter of global new car sales this year and as much as half of light vehicles sold worldwide by 2035. 5 years ago, it was just 9%.
Across the industry, the ground is shifting under automakers' feet. Yet the rumbling is being felt much more in some countries than others. The map of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), EV and autonomous dominance is being rewritten.
Joining host Tom Parker is Niall Healy, Chief Operating Officer at Trade Nation, Marc Palmer, Head of Strategy & Insights at Autotrader and Professor Peter Wells, Professor of Business and Sustainability, Centre for Automotive Industry Research, Cardiff Business School.
This episode was recorded on 23rd September 2026.
Sources: FT Resources, IEA, Bloomberg NEF, SQ Magazine, CPCA, ITA, Mercedes Benz, Road to Autonomy
This content is paid for by Trade Nation and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times.
