Automakers must break free from traditional thinking, innovate vehicle experiences and dare to imagine the impossible. Around the concept of software-defined experience, reshaping brand core values, what can automakers create to win and keep customers?
According to Bill Knapp, CEO of Ford Drive, “Software-defined vehicle experiences should meet customer needs and create value.” Kenichi Takagi, Vice President and Head of Connected Systems R&D at Denso International America, added “In addition to technical challenges, autonomous driving also needs to overcome regulatory and societal acceptance barriers.”
Roland Berger says when building brand experiences, safety, reliability and data privacy are key. Beyond that, automakers must innovate to create unique experiences that differentiate their brands.
Automakers must deliver a consistent user experience that matches their brand positioning. Whether the brand is about luxury driving, sustainable mobility or driving fun, the organization must stay true to its core brand values.
To do this, automakers must build robust data platforms to collect and analyze user data, so they can create software-driven experiences. These experiences might include virtual test drives, immersive journeys, ownership and usage models, in-vehicle concierge services or personalized settings.
By understanding customer needs and preferences, brands can build real emotional connections with customers—and long-term loyalty.
And automakers must collaborate with new ecosystem partners and adopt proven frameworks to speed up innovation. An independent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value found that nearly half (48%) of automotive CIOs, CTOs and CDOs think strategic alliances and partnerships will be the source of competitive advantage for automakers over the next three years.
To create seamless customer experiences that connect people’s lifestyles and mobility, automakers must go beyond industry boundaries and work with technology startups, academic and research institutions, telcos, media and entertainment companies.
Roland Berger also says some executives don’t want to benchmark against competitors. Instead they prefer to draw inspiration and new ideas from other industries. Building an open innovation platform can help to integrate and collaborate with new ecosystem partners. Automakers must also gather feedback from customers and partners, adjust strategies and products in real time and stay aligned with market demand and technology. And they must anticipate customer needs and test new ideas. That’s the unique advantage of software-driven experiences—companies can evolve and adapt to market change.
Autonomous driving is one of the key applications of software-defined vehicles and has gotten a lot of attention. But global and Chinese automotive leaders agree that adoption of advanced autonomous driving (Level 4 and Level 5) is limited. By 2030, Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles will account for only 12% and 11% of the global and Chinese market respectively, rising to 23% and 24% by 2035.
According to IBM Institute for Business Value’s Automotive Industry Outlook 2030, more than half of customers consider safety and privacy protection to be key differentiators for brands. With software-defined vehicles and increasing automotive connectivity, cybersecurity risks are on the rise—safety is non-negotiable.
Given the long lifecycle of vehicles, safety systems must be designed to last long term. The nature of future threats is unknown and every technological advancement introduces new vulnerabilities.
So automakers must be able to update and maintain security systems quickly, embed safety and privacy throughout the product lifecycle. That way vehicles remain resilient to evolving security threats.
source:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/g8LEWsR8MsUDif4JApSfQw
