Advising Automotive & Mobility Businesses
The automotive and mobility sector encompasses all businesses, technologies, and services that enable the movement of people and goods across the earth’s surface, extending far beyond traditional automobile and off-highway manufacturing industries.
Within this sector, transactions often involve companies operating in complex global supply chains, where access to robust long-term commitments - such as production programmes or product distribution agreements - plays a more decisive role in revenue visibility and financial performance than short-term margin optimization.
Accordingly, CDI Global Automotive & Mobility partners carefully assess, as part of counterparty selection processes, long-term business exposure, contractual terms, and change-of-control provisions within supply agreements. Other key evaluations include company management, operational performance, capital intensity, and working capital requirements, as well as technology-related risks and opportunities, particularly at a time when widespread disruptions are reshaping the sector.
Automotive & Mobility Sector Overview
The automotive & mobility sector comprises an increasingly complex combination of manufacturing and service businesses, which CDI Global is proud to support.
The automotive industry itself remains largely organized around global OEMs, with generally independent distribution networks handling vehicle sales, rental and servicing or aftermarket parts distribution, and tiered supplier structures supporting parts supply for vehicle manufacturing and maintenance.
In recent years, however, both the automotive and mobility sub-sectors have witnessed the emergence of new OEMs, vehicle types, and service categories, driven by the growing availability and disruptive affordability of new technologies.
In addition, the sector continues to adapt to shifts in energy management technologies, evolving vehicle control software approaches, the surge in e-commerce, new regional regulatory standards, and emerging mobility trends.
Free-floating short-term rental of electric bikes and scooters, ride-hailing of driverless autonomous cars, next-day delivery of online-ordered reconditioned used car parts, satellite-guided farm tractors, and hydrogen-powered heavy-goods trucks or locomotives are now all part of the global automotive & mobility landscape.
Our Experience in Automotive & Mobility
CDI Global has advised numerous OEMs, component manufacturers, and service suppliers over the years on acquisition, and divestiture projects. Many assignments involve businesses where decisions are driven or influenced by the need to strengthen competitive positions, adapt technology portfolios, adjust geographical footprints, or address family succession considerations.
A significant portion of our work involves proprietary search. Attractive businesses within automotive and mobility supply chains are often not publicly marketed and require direct engagement with shareholders. We approach owners discreetly and manage discussions with due sensitivity to existing customer relationships.
Transactions in this sector frequently involve cross-border customer bases and manufacturing footprints across multiple jurisdictions. Foreign ownership may also be subject to review by local authorities where strategic technologies or advanced manufacturing capabilities are involved. In all cases, we support negotiations across different legal frameworks, with both local and industry expert senior partners directly involved throughout the process.
