What the automotive leaders at Business by the docks told us about the road to 2035

On May 29 2026, Nexer gathered more than 200 leaders, experts and decision-makers within the automotive ecosystem at Business by the Docks. The theme of the forum was how Europe and Sweden can remain competitive towards 2035. Throughout the day, participants contributed through panel discussions, audience polling and conversations. These insights reflect how part of the Swedish automotive industry view the road ahead and are summarised here.

1. Europe’s challenge isn’t innovation
The audience polling showed that participants don’t believe Europe’s biggest challenge is a lack of technology, engineering talent or ideas. Instead, 59% identified speed of execution as the capability currently missing most in Europe’s automotive strategy.
When asked what will be most important for competitiveness in the future automotive ecosystem, speed of execution was again ranked highest, ahead of ecosystem partnerships, access to data and software platform control.
Takeaway: Europe already has many of the ingredients needed to succeed. The challenge is acting faster.

2. Organisational transformation is more important than technology
AI and software dominated many of the discussions throughout the day. Yet when participants were asked which capability will be most important before 2035, organisational transformation stood out. 53% pointed to organisational change, leadership and culture as the most important capability for future competitiveness. AI and data capabilities came second at 22%.
Takeaway: Technology adoption alone is unlikely to create competitive advantage. Organisations also have to become better at adapting, un-learning old truths and learning and transforming continuously.

3. AI has to move from experimentation to operations
AI was discussed throughout both panel sessions. However, the conversation focused less on future possibilities and more on implementation. Panellists repeatedly highlighted the need for trustworthy AI systems, validation frameworks, compliance models and measurable business value.
Takeaway: The question is no longer if organisations should use AI or not, but how quickly they can operationalise it.

4. Collaboration is becoming a competitive advantage
40% of participants identified greater collaboration across industries as the most important thing the automotive industry needs between now and 2035. When asked about Sweden’s greatest competitive advantage, the most common answer was cross-industry collaboration, ahead of engineering heritage, sustainability and software capabilities. Throughout the day, discussions repeatedly returned to the importance of ecosystems.
Takeaway: Success will increasingly depend on partnerships across OEMs, technology companies, academia, startups and public institutions.

5. Sweden’s priorities are becoming clearer
Participants were also asked what Sweden should prioritise most before 2035 and answered:
– AI and software leadership (39%)
– Strategic European partnerships (38%)
– Autonomous mobility ecosystems (12%)
– Energy and charging infrastructure (11%)
Takeaway: This suggests that industry leaders don’t see technology and collaboration as competing priorities. Instead, they believe both are needed for future success.

The 5 conclusions from Business by the Docks
1. Speed is more important than ever.
2. AI has to move into operations.
3. Ecosystem collaboration is a competitive advantage.
4. Transformation starts with leadership.
5. Openness and resilience have to go hand in hand.

Looking ahead towards 2035
Business by the Docks didn’t aim to provide all the answers, but it revealed a strong level of agreement among industry leaders, technology experts, researchers and policymakers. If the discussions in Gothenburg are any indication, future competitiveness may depend less on having the best ideas and more on turning those ideas into action faster than everyone else.