In the article “Silicon Valley and Detroit join forces for journey towards car of the future”, Robert Wright of the Financial Times discusses the growing co-operation between the car industry and tech firms.
“This year’s new vehicles betray the growing interdependence between carmakers and technology companies – two industries often seen as bitter rivals in the race to introduce internet connected cars.”
“At the heart of the changed relationship is a recognition that both sides will suffer critical weaknesses if they try to tackle the looming problems alone. For carmakers, the main challenge is that their painstaking development processes make it hard to introduce vehicle software apps quickly enough to keep pace with technological change (…) Carmakers are increasingly likely to turn to technology specialists to develop such support systems.”
When Lancer Group’s research team attended the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, these trends were validated. There was a swelling tide of confidence among carmakers about their ability to structure partnerships with the tech industry to their advantage. “You could certainly see auto taking on elements of the tech industry and how these two are integrating at an incredible pace” commented by Michael Misiaszek, analyst at the Lancer Group.
The smart car development – creating environments similar to a connected home or office, was one of the observed trends. Smart tech cars for example have a high degree of personalization, smart safety features and a single network operating inside the vehicle.
