Airbiquity released its top 2016 connected car predictions for the automotive industry. The company predicts accelerated technology advances, threats from tech powerhouses, OTA software updates, more electric cars and more autonomous features. The trends are similar to the results of Tech CARS Awards with readers voting for companies that offer software updates and autonomous features.
Airbiquity’s top 2016 predictions, include:
Threats from Tech Behemoths
Silicon Valley technology companies like Google, Apple, Tesla, Uber, and Lyft are declaring their ambitions to be automotive industry disruptors and leaders. To counter this threat, traditional automakers will fast-track internal transformations to adopt new technologies, embrace new ecosystem partners, and change outdated processes and procurement policies that are hindering progress.
Connected Updates & Connected Vehicle Health
In addition to providing consumers with in-vehicle infotainment content, connected cars are unique in the ability to receive remote software updates to fix recalls and enhance features, as well as provide data about vehicle operations and driving history. This ability presents tremendous cost savings and consumer engagement opportunities for automakers such as reducing recall expense, enabling real-time part and system evaluation, optimizing back-office operations and supply chain, and introducing new driving centric services and monetization.
More EVs & AVs
Automakers will increase investments for the development of technologies to improve electric vehicle performance and expand autonomous driving features. Regarding electrification, oil prices and consumer demand for electric vehicles may be low today, but increasing global warming concerns and efficiency mandates will press automakers to improve fleet efficiencies. Gas prices will eventually increase followed by consumer demand for more efficient vehicles across all price ranges. In response, automakers must ensure they have the right product at the right time to remain competitive. As far as autonomous goes, the future is clear: It’s going to happen. If automakers want a slice of the autonomous pie they have to develop and equip vehicles with enabling technologies. The road to fully autonomous vehicles will be a long one [(Airbiquity predicts 2030-35) and there will be bumps along the way. To succeed automakers need to put their stakes in the ground now.
Airbiquity’s Choreo cloud-based service delivery platform provides customizable and scalable connected car service delivery for vehicle connectivity, safety and security, infotainment delivery, electric vehicle, and fleet management. Over seven million vehicles have been subscribed to Choreo, which powers hundreds of millions of connected car transactions per month