The automotive industry is among the top three industries most affected by the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Cars, motorcycles and scooters are experiencing another round of popularity this year, however, according to a Pinterest Trend Report based on search queries of an audience of 400 million users.

In the "new reality," people have switched to personal vehicles for daily commutes and short weekend excursions. There is also a renaissance in various forms of camping. For example, searches for "motorcycle tent" on Pinterest have increased 100% over last year. At the same time, the stereotypical view the automotive industry is "male" is changing. The global trends of inclusiveness and equality have reached even the auto industry.

For example, in June the annual Women Automotive Summit attracted over 500 attendees from 30 countries. It is an online meeting that aims to bring together women professionals from multiple industries to share success stories and establish new connections that may support future collaboration. Among the 37 speakers at the summit were representatives of Mercedes-Benz AG, Peugeot, Renault Group, Audi AG, Toyota Motor Company, and leading car companies.

According to Viktoria Kosterina, AsstrA Automotive Logistics Sales Specialist, in addition to the experts’ inspiring speeches, networking opportunities were the highlight of the event.

Viktoriya Kosterina

“The speakers gave their presentations in random order, so there was plenty of variety in the flow of information. We had express meetings that helped us get to know each other, introduce our companies, and discuss what the speakers had shared with us. We added lots of new people to our networks and had plenty of new ideas for doing business in the future,” relates Viktoriya Kosterina.

Summit participants discussed digitalization, technological trends, and green initiatives in the automotive industry. They analyzed the causes of supply chain failures and methods for optimizing online and offline sales channels. The role of women in the industry was a pervasive theme throughout the entire event.

“Today, society is moving away from thinking about professions in stereotypical “male” and “female” terms. The AsstrA team is 66% women and 34% men despite logistics having historically been considered a male sector. Here, success comes down to professional skills and personal qualities rather than gender. Such events give an opportunity to get new inspiration to develop further in the field, regardless of the circumstances," adds Viktoriya Kosterina.