THE WORLD'S GREATEST AUTO DISRUPTORS 2022

The visionaries and innovators leading the industry into the digital future

- EILEEN FALKENBURG-HULL

PROGRESS IN THE AUTO industry used to just be about the cars— how they drove, what they looked like, how much they cost, how comfortable they were and how safe. Those things still matter greatly, of course, but now, the automotive landscape is far vaster. As technological advances expand the possibilities of what a car can be and new challenges—from climate change to the pandemic—present themselves, innovation in the auto world is extending into new vistas, including sustainability, mobility, alternative fuels and a full embrace of the digital future.

Cars, in other words, aren’t only vehicles anymore, getting you from Point A to Point B. They can be entertainment systems, tech centers, home offices and information hubs. They can be problem solvers, helping to address issues like carbon emission, soaring gasoline prices and mobility challenges. And they can be fully digital products, versus simply modes of transportation, serving a multitude of purposes, in ways that benefit both consumers and the bottom line of the carmakers that produce them.

During this period of transformative change in the industry, a few bold leaders stand out, judged by their determination to meet the challenges of the digital future, and their skill in bringing the cars of today into tomorrow with vision, speed and technological prowess. These carmakers have been pushing harder than their peers, making quicker business pivots and going audaciously forward in ways that upend the usual flow of business.

These leaders are, in