BCG -借助生成式人工智能为汽车运营提速 Turbocharging Automotive Operations with GenAI

AUTOMOTIVEINDUSTRYTurbochargingAutomotiveOperationswithGenAIByFelixStellmaszek,WolfgangSchnellbächer,AlbertWaas,MichaelLoibl,andLarsMaeckerARTICLEJANUARY13,2026Theglobalautomotiveindustryislosingitsoldcertainties.Fordecades,well-engineeredproducts,scale,andsupply-chainmasterydefinedsuccess.Today,thatfoundationiscrackingundertheweightofgeopoliticalfragmentation,shi允ingconsumerexpectations,risinginputcosts,andintensifyingcompetition.Giventheindustry’scomplex,asset-heavyvaluechainsacrossmanyregions,OEMsareuniquelyvulnerabletodisruption.Eventhelargestplayersnowfacelevelsofvolatilitytheycannolongercontrol.©2026BostonConsultingGroup©2026BostonConsultingGroupInthisnewreality,GenAIisemergingastheindustry’sstrategiccompass:asystemofintelligencethatleaderscanharnesstoanticipatedisruption,optimizecoststructures,andaccelerateexecutionacrosseveryfunction.FromR&Dandprocurementtosupplychainandmanufacturing,GenAIisalreadydemonstratingmeasurablegainsinproductivity,precision,andquality.Buttechnologyalonewon’tclosethegap.Capturingitsfullpotentialdemandsanewoperatingmodelthatiscenteredaroundtechnologyandbuiltonintelligence,integration,andpurposefuldesign.WefoundthatGenAIapplicationscoulddelivercumulativecostimprovementsofupto25%andproductivitygainsof20%to30%withinthreeyears.Beyondtheseefficiencygainsliesthepromiseofcreatingadaptive,self-learningsystems.ThisishowGenAIevolvesfromapowerfultooltothebackboneofanewoperatingmodelforautomakers.ThequestionfacingeveryOEMisnolongerwhethertouseGenAI,buthowfasttoscaleittotransformdecisionmaking,createvalue,andbuildresilience.TheimpactultimatelydependsonthechoicesOEMleadersmake.FunctionsInaworlddefinedbyvolatility,GenAIenablesOEMstoanticipateshocks,adaptinrealtime,andreducestructuralcosts.(See“AnEraofUncertaintyforOEMs.”)Itisnotjustadigitalupgrade;itisthecognitiveinfrastructurethatallowsleaderstomanageuncertaintywithconfidence.-AnEraofUncertaintyforOEMsAconfluenceofforceshascreatedalevelofuncertaintythatfewOEMshaveeverfaced.Thepastdecadesofglobalizationhavegivenwaytoaworldoflocalization,wheretraderoutesshi允overnight,energypricesfluctuatesharply,andlong-reliablesuppliersstruggletokeeppacewithtechnologicalchange.Consumerexpectationsaredivergingjustasfast.Electrification,connectivity,anddigitizationareadvancingatdifferentspeedsacrossmarkets,forcingOEMstoservemultiplerealitiessimultaneously.Costpressurecontinuestointensify,withmaterials,energy,andlogisticsremainingvolatileaselectrificationraisescapitalneeds.Meanwhile,supplierfragilitycompoundstherisks:Tier1partnersareunderfinancialandtechnologicalstrain,leavingmanufacturersexposed.©2026BostonConsultingGroupInthisenvironment,OEMs’traditionaloperatingmodel—o允ensiloed,manual,andoverlycomplex—cannotmanagethescaleorspeedofdisruptions.Astheirstrategiccompassfornavigatingthisturbulence,automakerscanturntoGenAItoprovideforesightbysensingshi允sinmarketsandsupplychainsbeforetheymaterialize;forcebyautomatingandacceleratinghigh-valuework;andconnectivitybyunitingdecisionsacrossfunctions.Theresultisafundamentallydifferentmanagementparadigmanchoredininsight,speed,andcontrol.Toquantifytheseeffects,BCGanalyzedGenAI-drivenvaluecreationacrossfourOEMfunctions—R&Dandengineering,procurement,supplychainandlogistics,andmanufacturing—evaluatingimprovementsincostefficiency,speed,quality,andconsistency.WhatfollowsisacloserlookathowGenAIsupportsleadersinreshapingeachfunctionandhowtheseadvancementsconvergeintoanewoperatingmodel.R&DandEngineering:AcceleratingInnovationCyclesInanindustrywherespeedandprecisiondeterminesurvival,traditionalR&Dmodelshavebecomeabottleneck.Sequentialworkflowsandmanualiterationscannolongerkeeppacewithrapidlyevolvingtechnologies,so允ware-definedarchitectures,andregulatorycomplexity.GenAIoffersafundamentallydifferentapproach.Actingasacreative,analytical,andexecutionalcopilot,ithelpsengineersenhanceproductivityacrosseverydevelopmentstage.(SeeExhibit1.)Inearlyconceptdevelopment,forexample,GenAIsupportsideation,breaksdownrequirements,evaluatesdesignoptions,andconductsinitiallegalandregulatorychecks,potentiallyreducingeffortbyapproximately30%.Thesecapabilitiesnotonlyaccelerateearlythinkingbutalsoreducedownstreamreworkbyimprovingclarityandcompliancefromtheoutset.©2026BostonConsultingGroupAsworkmovesintomechanicsandelectricalandelectronicsdevelopment,GenAIautomatesthecreationoffunctiondefinitionsandsystemdescriptions,generatesfeaturelists,andoptimizesconfigurationvariants.Thesetasks,whichtraditionallyconsumeconsiderableengineeringcapacity,canbestreamlinedby10%to30%,enablingteamstoevaluatemorealternativesfasterwhilemaintainingaccuracyandconsistency.So允wareandfeaturedevelopment—oneofthemostresource-intensiveareas—benefitsevenmore.GenAIassistswithcodegeneration,automatedso允warereviews,andalgorithmoptimizationindomainssuchasADASandautomateddriving.Thecombinationofgenerativedra允ing,intelligentdebugging,andAI-drivenauditscanreduceeffortbyroughly25%to30%,whileimprovingqualityanddocumentation.Inintegrationandtesting,wherecomplexityo允enpeaks,GenAIacceleratesmanagementofprototypevehiclesandtestbenches,analyzestestresults,andproducescomprehensivedocumentation.AI-generatedtestcasesfurthershortencycleswhileincreasingcoverage.Overallefficiencygainsofcloseto30%areincreasinglyrealistic—unlockingtimefordeepersystemvalidationandperformanceoptimization.Eveninqualitymanagementandassurance—wheredocumentation,tickethandling,andsupplierevaluationsdominatetheworkload—GenAIcanmeaningfullyreshapetheprocess.Byidentifyingduplicatetickets,reviewingsupplierandmaterialorders,anddra允ingchange-managementdocumentation,AIassiststeamsinreducingmanualeffortbyapproximately25%to30%whileimprovingtraceabilityandauditreadiness.Takentogether,theseimprovementsrepresentmorethanisolatedoptimizations.Theyredefinehowengineeringorganizationsoperate.GenAIenablesengineerstoexplorethousandsofdesignpermutationsinhours,simulatingperformance,efficiency,andsafetyattributessimultaneously.In©2026BostonConsultingGroupcomputer-aideddesignalone,designcyclesandreworkcanfallbyupto60%,allowingformoreambitiousexplorationwithincreasedreliabilityandregulatoryalignment.Asroutinetasksareautomated,engineeringshi允stowardhigher-valuecreativeandanalyticalwork,transforminglineardevelopmentcyclesintoacontinuousinnovationloop.Inthisnewparadigm,R&Devolvesfromacostcenterintoastrategicasset.GenAIempowersOEMstoenvision,test,anddelivernext-generationvehiclesatunprecedentedspeed,withtime-to-marketreductionsofupto40%increasinglywithinreach.Andthesameintelligenceisenablingorganizationstoprocurethematerials,technologies,andsuppliercapabilitiesneededtosustainthisnew,faster,andmoreadaptivemodelofdevelopment.Procurement:BuildingPredictiveandAdaptiveSupplyNetworksProcurementhasbecomeapressurepointforautomakers.Costconstraints,supplyvolatility,andgeopoliticaltensionarestretchingteamstotheirlimits.Traditionalprocurement—anchoredinbackward-lookingdataandmanualprocesses—cannolongerprotectmarginsorensurecontinuity.GenAIaddressesthesechallengesbyequippingprocurementleaderswithpredictiveintelligenceandautomation.AI-basedtransparencytoolscontinuouslyassesssupplierhealth,scanningfinancials,deliverypatterns,andmarketsignalstoflagdistressbeforedisruptionoccurs.Inthisway,GenAIbecomesprocurement’searly-warningsystem,helpingteamsbuildresilienceacrossthevaluechain.Atthesametime,GenAIdramaticallyimprovesday-to-dayexecution.AIassistantsautomatesourcingworkflows—dra允ingtailoredletters,generatingtenders,evaluatingoffers,andmanagingcommunications—reducingmanualeffortwiththeseenablersbyupto50%acrossprocurementactivities.(SeeExhibit2.)Thesavingsradaracceleratesdataanalysisandhelpsbuyersunlockanadditional5%to7%insavingsfrommid-tierandsmallsuppliersthato允enreceiveinadequateattention.Thenegotiationassistantcutspreparationtimebyupto50%andimprovesoutcomesby1%to2%,whileautomatedofferanalysishalvesthetimeneededtoevaluatebids.Evendownstream,toolsliketheclaimscoutcancapture0.5%to1%ofclaimablespend—suchasoverchargesandmissedrebates—byanalyzinglargevolumesofdataatscale.©2026BostonConsultingGroupBeyondefficiency,OEMsgainforesight.Procurementbecomesastrategiccommandcenterwherebuyersactfaster,negotiatesmarter,andsecuresupplychainsbeforerisksmaterialize.PoweredbyGenAI,procurementevolvesfromtransactionalbuyingtostrategicsourcing,helpingOEMscapturevalueandbuildresilienceinafragmented,high-stakesworld.Forchiefprocurementofficers,thismarksalong-overdueshi允,astheygainleverageandinfluencecommensuratewiththelargeshareofexternalspendingtheymanageacrossOEMs’totalvaluebase.Theapplicationsofpredictiveintelligencealsoextendtoend-to-endsupplynetworks,enablingautomakerstoanticipatedemandshi允sandrespondinrealtime.SupplyChainandLogistics:FromFordecades,supplychainshavebeenmanagedthroughspreadsheets,staticforecasts,andsiloedlogisticssystems.Thatmodelbreaksdownintoday’senvironmentofshi允ingtraderoutes,©2026BostonConsultingGroupunpredictabledemand,andrelentlessdisruption.Partialvisibilityandlaggingdatacauseerrorsandinefficienciesthatamplifyshocks,fromcomponentshortagestorouteclosures.GenAIistransformingsupplychainmanagementfromreactiveplanningtoincreasinglyautonomousorchestration.(SeeExhibit3.)Indemandandsupplyplanning,agentscanli允productivitybyupto40%whilerecalibratingsafety-stockparameterstoimproveservicelevels.Acrosstransportandlogistics,intelligentmode,route,andcarrieroptimizationdeliversproductivitygainsofupto30%.Thelargestimpactemergesdownstream,whereagent-enabledordermanagementandcustomerservicecanraiseproductivitybyupto70%.Thesegainsaresupportedbydataandperformanceenablers—suchasmasterdataandreal-timeKPIagents—thatcanfurtherimproveefficiencybyupto30%.Themostforward-lookingOEMsaredevelopingself-steeringcontroltowersthatintegratedatafromsuppliers,production,andtransport.Thesesystemssensedisruptionsanddemandspikesinstantlyandcoordinaterapidresponsesacrossthenetwork.WithGenAIastheconnectivetissueofgloballogistics,OEMscananticipatechange,synchronizeexecution,andturnvolatilityintoasourceofcompetitiveagility.Whenthisorchestrationreachesthefactoryfloor,ittransformsnotonlyhowOEMsplanandmovematerialsbuthowtheybuildtheirvehicles.©2026BostonConsultingGroupOperationsandManufacturing:TowardtheAutonomousPlantManufacturingistheautoindustry’sheartbeat,butinmostplants,therhythmstillfollowsdecades-oldpatterns.Inflexibleproductionschedules,manualinspection,andrule-basedautomationconstrainresponsivenessandyield,leavingfactoriesexposedasproductcomplexityrisesandskilledlaborbecomesscarcer.GenAIisnowhelpingleadersreshapemanufacturingintoanautonomous,self-optimizingsystem.(SeeExhibit4.)Inproduction,automationagentscontinuallyrefinemachinebehaviortoli允overallequipmenteffectiveness(OEE)andlowerlaborandenergycosts.Training-basedroboticsfurtheracceleratesdeploymentbyhalvingautomationengineeringtime,whilepredictiveprocesscontrolsystemslearnfromthousandsofsignalstoreducescrapanddelivermoreconsistentoutput.Maintenanceevolvesfromreactivefirefightingtoproactiveorchestration.GenAI-poweredmaintenanceagentslowercostsbyroughly30%andreducedowntimeby20%,whilepredictivemaintenanceroutinescanboostinspectionefficiencybymorethan60%.Asequipmentconditionsarecontinuouslyassessed,interventionsbecometimely,precise,andfarlessdisruptive.Qualityoperationsexperienceanequallysignificantshi允:predictivequalitysystemsreducereworkbyupto50%,AI-visiontoolsenabletheinspectionofeverypartproduced,anddocumentationcopilotsremoveupto90%ofadministrativeeffort,freeingteamstofocusonsystemicimprovementratherthanpaperwork.©2026BostonConsultingGroupInmanufacturingengineering,GenAIstabilizesprocessesthroughautomatedsetpointoptimization,thermalcurvemonitoring,andintelligentlinebalancing,reducingscrapandenergyusewhileacceleratingramp-uptimesfornewmodels.Toenhanceproductionplanning,digitaltwinsandAI-drivenplanningenginescompresscycles,eliminatebottlenecks,andraisethroughput.Predictivedemandandsupply-chainmodelsreduceshortagesandcostlypremiumfreight.Together,thesecapabilitiespushthefactorybeyondthetraditionallimitsofleanmanufacturing.GenAIenablesplantstoadaptinstantlytomaterialchanges,processvariations,orequipmentbehavior,creatinganenvironmentthatlearnsandimprovescontinuously.TheresultisamanufacturingsystemdefinedbyhigherOEE,lowerdependencyonmanualwork,andalevelofresiliencethatsupportsfasterinnovationcyclesupstream.WithGenAIembeddedacrossplanning,engineering,operations,quality,andmaintenance,theautonomousplantbecomesanemergingreality—oneinwhichproductionsynchronizesseamlesslywithsourcing,logistics,andproductdevelopment.TheNewOperatingModel:ConnectingIntelligenceAcrosstheValueChainManyOEMsareracingtodeployGenAI,buttooo允entheyriskembeddingthesetoolsintolegacycomplexity.Addingadvancedtoolsontopofoutdated,fragmentedprocessesreinforcescomplexityinsteadofeliminatingit.TotrulyunlockGenAI’stransformativepotential,theenterpriseitselfmustevolvebyrethinkingdecision-making,data,andaccountabilityforanintelligentage.BeforeintroducingGenAI,leadingautomakersaredesigningnewprocessesandoperatingmodelsthatclarifydecisionrights,definedataownership,andembedperformanceaccountability.Oncethefoundationisset,unifieddataplatformsandAIlayerscanconnectR&D,procurement,supplychain,andmanufacturingthroughsharedintelligence.Inthismodel,AIsupportsleadersandteamsbyanticipatingrisks,optimizingtradeoffs,andcoordinatingactionsacrossfunctionsinrealtime.Thepayoffisasystemthatlearnsasitruns.Forecasting,planning,andschedulingbecomeadaptive,self-improvingprocessesthatrespondinstantlytochangingconditions.Bygettingthisfoundationright,OEMscanmakeintelligencethetruebackboneofafaster,leaner,andmoreresilientorganization.©2026BostonConsultingGroupScalingGenAIwithPurposeandSpeedThewinnersofthenextdecadewillbeautomakersthatscaleGenAIboldlyyetresponsibly,embeddingitacrosstheirenterprisewithclearintent,stronggovernance,anddecisiveleadership.Asthetechnologymatures,theindustry’sleaderswillbesetapartbytheirspeedofexecutionandorganizationalreadinesstoscale.Exhibit5highlightsfourstagesofGenAImaturity.Acrossthesestages,theGenAImodalitiesemployedincrease—fromGenAIfoundationsandintegratedenterprisetoolstoAIagentsand,finally,consortiaofagentsthatworkacrossinterconnectedworkflows.Theshi允frompointsolutionstosystemsofintelligenceenablesOEMstostreamlinedecisions,accelerateexecution,andcoordinateoperationsatscale.Companiesthatadvancerapidlythroughthesestagesshareacommonpattern:theymovefastbutwithdiscipline.Theystartwithtargeted,high-impactpilotsthatsolverealpainpoints,andthenindustrializewhatworksthroughsharedplatforms,cleargovernance,andcross-functionalcapabilitybuilding.Theyunderstandthatsuccessdependslessonalgorithmsandmoreontheenablersthatsustainthem:cleandata,redesignedprocesses,andaworkforcetrainedtocollaboratewithintelligentsystems.Inanindustrywhereeveryfamiliarlandmarkisshi允ing,automakerscanturntoGenAIastheirstrategiccompass.Itgivesleaderstheclar