Surprise, surprise: EVs were the top conversation topic among automotive influencers on Twitter in the fourth quarter of 2019, GlobalData says

It’s unlikely to be a surprise to anyone who engages regularly with automotive media, but now there are statistics to back it up: according to GlobalData, a UK-based data analytics and consulting company, electric cars were the most discussed topic among automotive influencers on Twitter during the fourth quarter of 2019.

GlobalData, as announced in a press release issued early this morning, arrived at this finding through an analysis of their proprietary Vehicle Manufacturers Influencer Platform, which, according to the company, monitors discussions surrounding emerging trends among industry experts from the automotive sector.

Among the broad topic areas that GlobalData monitors within this group of automotive influencers are emerging trends, insights and overviews, new fields of innovation, and technology.

Also not so surprising is GlobalData’s finding that Tesla’s Cybertruck was the top conversation driver in the group during the fourth quarter of 2019. On Twitter, discussions of these automotive influencers focused on the CyberTruck’s “futuristic design” along with its assisted driving features and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

“With electrification being a key agenda in several countries and among OEMs and with new product developments, announcements and model launches, it is not surprising that EVs emerged as the most discussed topic on Twitter,” commented GlobalData Automotive Consulting Director Animesh Kumar.

According to GlobalData, the influencers who had the most to contribute on the EV topic in the fourth quarter of 2019 were:

• Alex von Witzleben, who, according to his social media profiles, is an economic historian and former researcher at the European University Institute
• Thomas J. Thias, former automotive salesman and operator of a YouTube channel (with 30 subscribers as of today) and Twitter profile (with 6,236 followers as of today) under the Clean Energy Retort brand
• Dirk Harbecke, who boasts 3,986 followers on his @RockTechLithium Twitter page and who, according to his LinkedIn profile, is Chairman of the Board at Rock Tech Lithium Inc., a Canada-based company

Topics discussed on Twitter among these three automotive influencers, as indicated by their hashtag usage, included “#Selfdriving, #IoT, #5G, #Smartcity and #Batteries,” according to GlobalData.

The most discussed company among the GlobalData-designated Twitter influencers was—wait for it—Tesla. Also discussed frequently were Daimler, Renualt SA, PSA Group and AB Volvo.

Making a quick personal assessment of the current climate and global factors currently impacting the automotive industry, however, Kumar says there could be a significant shift in the focus of conversation among automotive influencers shows up once the first quarter of 2020 comes to a close.

Kumar noted that “it would not be a surprise if the topic [EVs] loses the top spot in Q1 2020. COVID-19 is disrupting the supply chain across markets and the top theme of discussion in Q1 2020 should be ‘automotive supply chain.’”