Automotive and industrial manufacturing in the age of AI: Navigating legacy challenges, ambitions, and skills gaps

The new BearingPoint AI study reveals no other sector invests so strategically in AI while struggling so much with legacy burdens and resistance.

Frankfurt am Main, December 11, 2025 - BearingPoint, the management and technology consultancy, has released key industry insights from its latest agentic AI study. The report focuses on the automotive and industrial manufacturing sectors, examining their AI strategies, challenges, and priorities relative to other industries. The findings reveal that automotive and industrial manufacturing companies differ markedly from the cross-industry average in both their approach to AI and the structural hurdles they face.

AI ambitions versus system inertia

Companies in these sectors struggle far more than others with outdated IT systems and legacy production processes. 60% of executives surveyed cite integration with legacy systems as their biggest hurdle, compared with only 29% in other industries.

Cultural resistance

Organizational resistance to change is cited by 51% of automotive and industrial manufacturing companies, versus only 20% in other industries. Executives in these sectors report deeply entrenched routines and hierarchies, and as a result, their organizations show a markedly lower readiness for change than the industry-wide benchmark.

Overcapacity and skills shortage: The double challenge

The study shows that automotive and industrial manufacturing expect significantly higher AI-related overcapacity today and through 2028. Redundancies are already happening, but often the wrong roles are affected, widening the already significant AI skills gap.

By 2028, surveyed executives expect a much larger surplus workforce compared to other sectors. At the same time, AI-related skills gaps are assessed as far more pronounced today and in future projections. The speed of AI adoption continues to outpace the ability to reskill and redeploy employees.

Resilience over risk: A cautious innovation path

Unlike other industries, 67% of automotive and manufacturing companies pursue a balanced, resilience-focused AI approach, compared with 37% in other sectors. This emphasis is reflected in planned actions to manage uncertainty in AI adoption.

To maintain strategic decision-making capability, companies in these sectors invest heavily in scenario-based, future-proof roadmaps and in initiatives that strengthen resilience and adaptability. At the same time, they invest considerably less in traditional reskilling programs: only 27% prioritize reskilling, compared with 46% in other industries.

As a result, the focus is less on technical upskilling and more on enabling employees to navigate AI-driven uncertainty and change. In a sector where AI impacts are complex and future skill needs are unclear, adaptability becomes the most powerful lever for long-term stability and future readiness.

Action recommendations

Transformation requires balancing change pressure with organizational resilience. Companies must drive technological change dynamically without overwhelming structures and employees. Successful transformation means shaping change at an ambitious yet sustainable pace.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach that transforms businesses using technology intelligently. The firm operates across three core units: Consulting, Products, and Capital. Its Consulting services focus on selected areas, combining business and technology expertise with profound industry knowledge. The Products unit provides IP-driven solutions and managed services for business-critical processes. Capital delivers deal advisory and transaction services. In addition to its core operations, BearingPoint runs two joint ventures: Arcwide, a JV with IFS, which specializes in business transformation based on IFS technology, and BearingPoint North America, a JV with ABeam, which is dedicated to consulting excellence and business transformation built on SAP.

BearingPoint serves many of the world's leading companies and organizations. Together with its strategic alliance partner ABeam Consulting, the firm brings together 15,000 professionals and supports clients in over 70 countries, delivering seamless business transformation with sustainable impact.

BearingPoint is a certified B Corporation, driven by a strong sense of purpose - today and into the future.

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