Digital transformation and technological advancements of today bring the automotive industry to a state of disruptive transition. Manufacturers are being challenged by changing customer needs, as they are now demanding a more digitalized experience.
The modern customer is all about convenience. He wants seamless connectivity and the best driving experience, with things to bring comfort while traveling. As such, innovations like IoT or Artificial Intelligence make an impact on the automotive industry in 2019 as they . It’ll be mostly focused on connected automobiles.
The automotive industry is likely to go beyond automation to a digitized factory which produces over 100 million lines of code per connected vehicle. It would use a whole new kind of workers and business models.
So, let’s have a look at some of the top digital transformation trends in automotive in 2019:
Connectivity
This word has been buzzing around for the last few years. However, 2019 is the year when connectivity is not just a nice addition, it’s a necessity demanded by users. Drives want to have access to their social media, music, and apps while driving, just like they would at any other time.
Our vehicles are no longer limited productivity spaces. Instead, in our cars, we can continue as usual with our social or business life, or whatever we want. We’re able to drive WiFi equipped cars, which used to be a dream to many people.
Car manufacturers are realizing they can’t sell cars without these features, so that makes them invest more. Every aspect on the factory floor is now digitized to match consumer environments.
Big Data
High-tech cars that we used to see only in movies are slowly turning into reality and are even better than we expected. With the provided connectivity, cars are able to collect data on drivers. Big Data will be in service of customers for lots of things like finding destinations, traffic patterns or nearby gas stations.
Manufacturers will need to focus on how to keep all that data safe and use it most effectively. This is exactly the difference that will determine which of them gains success and which will fall into obscurity. This also highlights the importance of working with a reliable automotive software provider.
According to this report, by 2020 connected car services will net approximately $40 billion annually. They include navigation, automatic collision notification, enhanced safety, and the list goes on. Big data is the root of these applications as they increase the amount of data which is collected from remote sensors.
Digital Shopping
The long processes of visiting car showrooms, exploring your options, crosschecking different models, thorough research, and all of that is a thing from the past. This never-ending procedure is coming to an end. Digital transformation provides us with a great solution – Augmented Reality.
You may know that AR is used for creating a revolutionary shopping experience. It won’t pass the car market as well. AR will give you the ability to experience for the car drives, sounds, and feels, while you sit on your couch at home.
It’s very useful for car dealers as well, as they’ll have to employ fewer salesman and stock less inventory.
You will be able to use all the advantages of the Augmented Reality shopping to pick and try your dream car from the comfort of your home and have a next level, more convenient shopping experience. While it may sound a bit far-fetched, it’s definitely a possibility that is taking shape and needs to be considered.
Digital Safety and Car Design
Another thing that AR is now being used for is for improved driver safety. With its help, drivers will have the ability to see through traffic. Possibilities like seeing beyond the giant truck that’s in front of you will make driving safer than ever.
Augmented Reality will also become a part of traditional car design processes. Manufacturers will be able to digitally prototype and test their new vehicles. This will save them time and money in the manufacturing process.
Autonomous Driving
When we talk about digital transformation trends in Automotive, we can’t skip this one. However, statistics show that we are not ready for autonomous vehicles, at least not yet. In fact, by October last year, the state of California had reported 49 autonomous vehicle collisions for 2018 alone. This shows a significant problem.
And while we might not be quite there yet when it comes to autonomous vehicles, this is also shaping up an important consideration – functional safety.
Maybe the autonomous vehicles were a little too fast-forwarded on the market, allowing the existence of some worrying statistics, but in 2019 they are a definite trend. All the problems connected with them are being examined and future models will be way more effective.
Conclusion
Seeing the technological advancements being used in the automotive industry will be something very common in the near future. It transforms the industry so much, bringing more and more benefits for users and the environment as well.
Digital technology is changing the industry for good. There are many challenges that automotive manufacturers will have to overcome in order to keep up with the digital transformation in the industry. Most of all they need to move at speed, while still ensuring vehicle safety.
By looking at the few top digital transformation trends we listed above, you can see that’s still a work in progress, but we’ll definitely be seeing some great results in the very near future.