The spread of Coronavirus across the globe has rendered moot the regular life of human beings on planet Earth. While only the essential services are on the ground battling the impacts of the virus head on, others have resorted to work from the confines of their homes. One substantially affected aspect in this wake - transport.
As most of the human population sits at their homes to avoid the spread of Coronavirus through community transmission, transport across the globe has come to a standstill. No more traffic jams on the roads or pushing crowds on the public transports stations can be seen in any major city of the world. Just vast, empty roads that once served as the way.
An interesting take, however, imagines life after the Coronavirus induced lockdown is lifted in cities. As people will start commuting to and fro from their homes to their offices or other destinations, a school of thought stresses that most of them will be doing so in a private vehicle.
It only makes sense. After all, nobody is expecting the Coronavirus to just vanish one good day from the face of the Earth. Even after a substantial reduction in active cases, there will be a threat of the COVID-19 spread and scientists have already warned of its second as well as third wave of outbreaks.
In such a scenario, keeping away from crowded spots will form the new norm. People will prefer to remain in the social distancing mode that they have been observing at the moment and doing so in their own personal car is easier than in a crowded metro bogie. This will likely go on until of course a full proof vaccine is developed for it.
The trend is already being observed in China, the epicentre of the Coronavirus, as the auto industry resumes most of its operations in the country. Passenger vehicle sales in China are seeing a drastic boom since the lockdown has been listed and interestingly, people are opting for more and more electric vehicles. You can read all about it here.
There is little doubt that a similar pattern will be seen here. People will be opting for passenger vehicles for movements as soon as the lockdown is lifted. The remaining 10% of BS4 underlying stock with the dealerships will ensure a low price for the vehicles to kickstart the sales, after the Supreme Court extended the deadline for the sales of BS4 stocks earlier.
In addition to the (limited) cheaper vehicles, the prices of petrol and diesel are also set to take a nosedive in the coming days. With the Opec+ agreeing to cut the global oil production by 10% to match the low demand, prices of crude oil were expected to go up. However, the global reduction in demand stands around 30% which largely outshines the cut in supply. The result, petrol and diesel are seeing a drop in prices with each passing day.
The lower cost of fuels and with the options of other technologies like electric vehicles, customers will have a plethora of options to choose their next vehicle. The freedom of choice, however, will not be so vast when it comes to travelling from point A to point B. A simple deduction can hence prove that people will be preferring private cars to travel once the lockdown is lifted.
So don't be surprised if you find traffic jams on the roads once the lockdowns are lifted and normal life resumes.