ABSTRACT
On the EU' s roads there are 243 million passenger cars today, while its average age is more than 11.5 years. In recent years the automotive industry has become the dominant sector on which the economic growth of several EU countries depends to a large extent. Despite the fact that the crisis in 2008 revealed the risk of the economy's dependence on one dominant sector, the situation repeated itself after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and a related severe lockdown hit massive the automotive sector of several EU countries, especially CEEC. Although both production and exports rose again in the summer months, due to the threat of new pandemic waves a sustainable recovery is in doubt. For a successful restart of the automotive industry, it will need to adapt its product parameters and marketing strategies to new trends in demand, technology and business model development. Based on the analysis of recent statistical data the article focuses on the current challenges the automotive industry is confronted with and their impact not only within the automotive branch, but also in other related sectors. It also analyses individual measures to reverse the negative development, as well as meeting the requirements of sustainable development prospects of this sector.