The commercial vehicle industry is being reshaped by decarbonization, software-defined vehicles, automation, stricter regulations, and growing total cost of ownership pressures. FEV Consulting helps truck, bus, and van manufacturers make strategic decisions on products, platforms, powertrains, software, and business models through technology roadmaps, portfolio strategies, market intelligence, and transformation programs.
INDUSTRies
Commercial Vehicles
What challenges are reshaping the commercial vehicle industry?
Commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators are navigating a period of unprecedented transformation. Unlike passenger vehicles, trucks, buses and vans are ultimately evaluated on total cost of ownership, reliability, uptime and payload utilization. Every strategic decision – from powertrain selection to software investment – must therefore balance innovation with operational and economic performance.
Decarbonization without compromising competitiveness
Decarbonization is no longer a question of if, but how. Commercial vehicle manufacturers must determine where battery-electric, hydrogen, and other technologies create real customer value while balancing regulatory requirements, operational realities, and total cost of ownership.
The shift toward software-defined commercial vehicles
Software is becoming a key source of differentiation, enabling connected services, fleet integration, over-the-air updates, and new business models. Manufacturers must define the architectures, capabilities, and operating models required to create value beyond the physical vehicle.
Maintaining cost competitiveness during transformation
New technologies create opportunities for differentiation but also increase cost and complexity. Manufacturers must continuously improve vehicle economics through smarter engineering, platform reuse, and cost optimization while meeting demanding customer expectations for uptime and performance.
Rethinking vehicle portfolios and platforms
Product and platform decisions have become significantly more complex. Manufacturers must balance multiple powertrain technologies, evolving regulations, and diverse customer requirements while avoiding fragmented portfolios and inefficient investments.
Automation is reshaping commercial vehicle operations
Automation has the potential to fundamentally change how goods and people are transported. From hub-to-hub trucking to construction and mining applications, manufacturers must determine where autonomous solutions create sustainable operational and economic value.
Public transportation is undergoing its own transformation
Bus manufacturers and public transport operators face many of the same technology shifts as truck OEMs, but within a different operating environment. Electrification, charging infrastructure, procurement requirements, and changing mobility expectations are reshaping long-term product and investment decisions.
How does FEV Consulting help commercial vehicle companies navigate transformation?
Commercial vehicle transformation requires more than technology expertise. Manufacturers must make strategic decisions while simultaneously developing products, industrializing technologies and safeguarding profitability. FEV Consulting combines management consulting, deep industry expertise and engineering capabilities to help truck, bus and van manufacturers translate market disruption into executable business and product strategies. The result is a practical approach that connects long-term vision with implementation, always considering the economic realities of fleet operators and end customers.
Decarbonization & CO₂ compliance
FEV Consulting supports commercial vehicle manufacturers with decarbonization strategies, regulatory impact assessments, technology roadmaps, powertrain portfolio planning and total cost of ownership modelling. The objective is not only to achieve compliance, but also to identify commercially sustainable pathways across battery-electric, hydrogen and advanced combustion technologies.
Software-defined vehicle transformation
Software is becoming a critical source of differentiation in commercial vehicles. FEV Consulting helps manufacturers define SDV strategies, prioritize use cases, develop implementation roadmaps and design future operating models. This includes software architectures, digital services, connected fleet solutions, monetization opportunities and organizational transformation. FEV Consulting also aligns SDV and automation strategies to ensure that software investments support both connectivity and autonomous functionality.
Cost & value competitiveness
Commercial vehicle customers remain highly focused on total cost of ownership, uptime and payload performance. As new technologies increase vehicle complexity and investment requirements, manufacturers must identify ways to improve competitiveness without compromising functionality. FEV Consulting supports cost reduction programs, weight optimization initiatives, design-to-value activities and cost engineering efforts that help clients improve product economics while supporting future technology ambitions.
Product & platform strategy
Selecting the right platform and portfolio strategy is critical for long-term competitiveness. FEV Consulting supports market-driven platform planning, modularity assessments, portfolio design, technology selection and business-case evaluation. For bus manufacturers, this includes evaluating electric platforms, charging concepts, customer requirements, competitive positioning and long-term investment decisions across urban, regional and coach segments.
Innovation, technology scouting & foresight
The pace of technological change in commercial vehicles continues to accelerate. FEV Consulting helps clients understand emerging technologies, competitive developments, regulatory trends and future market scenarios. Through structured technology scouting, trend monitoring, scenario analysis and roadmap development, manufacturers gain the intelligence required to make informed investment decisions under uncertainty.
What is FEV Consulting’s track record in the commercial vehicle industry?
Our commercial vehicle experts have supported commercial vehicle manufacturers and suppliers worldwide, ranging from technology strategy and product portfolio optimization to software-defined vehicle transformation and cost engineering. We work with our clients along the entire product lifecycle across all company functions, from product management to engineering, from supply chain to manufacturing, from quality to service and aftermarket.
- 0+commercial vehicle projects have been delivered
- 0+leading OEMs form our client base and our commercial vehicle eco-system
- 0vehicle concepts were fully developed and successfully brought to market
- 0+suppliers of the commercial vehicle sector collaborate with us
Case samples
How does FEV Consulting support commercial vehicle transformation in practice?
Software-defined vehicle strategy & roadmap for an Asian commercial vehicle OEM
An Asian commercial vehicle manufacturer engaged FEV Consulting to support its transition towards software-defined vehicles. Based on >10 executive interviews, a global voice-of-customer assessment and industry benchmarking, FEV Consulting developed a holistic SDV strategy covering software architecture, business models and capability development. The project included the prioritization of > 10 commercial-vehicle-specific SDV use cases, identification of monetization opportunities, and a rollout strategy for approximately 20 priority features across three vehicle segments. A KPI framework with around 15 steering indicators, together with ecosystem and organizational recommendations, provided a structured roadmap for future software-driven differentiation
Decarbonization strategy & regulatory impact assessment for a global commercial vehicle manufacturer
A global commercial vehicle manufacturer engaged FEV Consulting to assess how evolving decarbonization policies and competitor strategies could impact its future competitiveness. FEV Consulting analyzed regulatory developments, policy incentives, technology trends and market dynamics across the client’s key regions and evaluated implications for product attractiveness and portfolio planning through 2035. The project delivered a fact-based strategic framework to support future powertrain decisions, market positioning and long-term investment planning
Future medium- and heavy-duty platform strategy for a european commercial vehicle OEM
A European commercial vehicle manufacturer asked FEV Consulting to support the definition of its next generation of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle platforms. FEV Consulting evaluated alternative technology and portfolio scenarios across multiple missions and applications, covering battery-electric, fuel-cell and conventional propulsion concepts. More than 15 technology scenarios were assessed, including platform modularity, competitiveness and investment implications. The resulting roadmap enabled the client to prioritize development activities and structure future platform investments across multiple vehicle segments.
Electric bus platform & portfolio strategy for a european bus manufacturer
A leading European bus manufacturer engaged FEV Consulting to evaluate its future electric bus portfolio and the business case for a dedicated battery-electric platform. FEV Consulting assessed future market demand, customer requirements, competitor strategies, battery integration concepts, charging approaches and manufacturing implications. The project identified a potential product cost reduction of more than €10,000 per vehicle and indicated a potential return on investment in less than three years. The resulting recommendations supported future product, platform and investment decisions in an increasingly electrified bus market
The winners in commercial vehicles will not be those with the most technologies, but those that integrate electrification, software and services into a business model customers are willing to pay for.
Frequently asked questions
There is no single powertrain solution suitable for every commercial vehicle application. We, together with our customers, evaluate battery-electric, hydrogen and advanced combustion technologies based on vehicle segment, duty cycle, infrastructure availability, regulatory requirements and total cost of ownership.
Preparation begins with understanding future regulatory developments and their impact on vehicle portfolios. We typically assess technology pathways, compliance gaps, portfolio implications and customer economics together rather than independently.
Our commercial vehicle SDV strategy typically includes software ownership models, E/E architectures, connectivity strategies, digital services, over-the-air capabilities, fleet integration, monetization opportunities and organizational transformation requirements.
The answer depends on production volumes, platform lifecycles, customer requirements and investment priorities. Manufacturers must evaluate the trade-offs between dedicated electric architectures and shared platform approaches within a broader portfolio strategy.
We assess new technologies based on their impact on acquisition cost, operating cost, uptime, maintenance requirements and payload capability. Successful transformation programs balance innovation with measurable customer value.
Automation has the potential to improve safety, productivity, asset utilization and operating efficiency. Manufacturers must determine which use cases create sustainable value, while fleet operators must evaluate readiness, economic viability and integration into existing logistics or public transportation systems.
Hydrogen is expected to remain one of several technology options within commercial vehicle decarbonization strategies. Its role will depend on vehicle application, duty cycle, infrastructure availability and economic viability. While battery-electric solutions are likely to dominate many applications, hydrogen may offer advantages in selected long-haul and high-utilization use cases.
Get in contact
with our team
Patrick
Glusk
Glusk
Managing Director Spain and Expert in Commercial Vehicle
Kai
Krüger
Krüger
Director and Expert in Commercial Vehicle
Pablo
Corcuera Nivela
Corcuera Nivela
Senior Manager and Expert in Commercial Vehicle
