When cars are electronically controlled – i.e. autonomous – and the driver no longer has to drive, he or she will need other forms of entertainment: infotainment will then increasingly become the main selling point. Better access to digital services, social media etc. will also be required. This is reported in the study “MIND-SHIFT: A Compendium on Future Mobility, Circularity and New Urbanism“, which the media monitoring company pressrelations carried out in spring using FirstSignals®, a method for early detection. The Oliver Wyman consultancy, for example, reckons that for 40 percent of European and even 80 percent of Chinese car buyers this will be a reason to buy a certain car and, if necessary, to change the car brand.
Car commerce, in-car purchase and infotainment, i.e. the possibility to shop, play games, stream, chat and pay from the car, will become a central competitive factor, says Peter Schiefer from chip manufacturer Infineon and predicts that 90 percent of innovations in the car will come through electronics. It goes without saying that this will require powerful mobile networks. 5G, fast hardware and software as well as seamless and fun operation will soon be more important to car buyers than top speed or fuel consumption.
With autonomous driving, the topic of safety will reach a new dimension. Because so much electronics, infotainment and connectivity open the door to hackers. Cyber attacks and car hacking will be unavoidable. More than half of the car buyers fear such attacks. And four out of five would have problems buying a car from a manufacturer that has already been exposed to such cyber attacks.
For Dr. Hans Hamer, CEO of SHIFT Mobility, it contains a wealth of insights and trends that are interesting not least for car manufacturers and an ever-growing ecosystem in many areas of electronics.
SHIFT Mobility
www.shift-mobility-ifa.com
