‘Embrace challenges of connected cars’
NOWADAYS we find “smart” versions of just about everything – smart locks, smart coffee makers, smart refrigerators, smart closets, just to name a few. This move to “smart” is also seen in automobiles – something that should excite Thailand, since the country is a hub for the manufacture and export of vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region.
Vehicles are indeed getting smarter. They can now respond automatically to various incidents and connect to service providers such as insurers and service centres.
Automotive manufacturers, traditionally focused on optimising vehicles’ internal functions, are now competing to be the first to market with functions that improve and leverage vehicles’ ability to connect with the outside world and enhance the driver experience. It is a race to be the smartest for connected vehicles in 2017 and beyond.
In reality, vehicles have had the ability to provide information about their health through telematics to varying degrees for some time, but the increasing use of sensors and telematics is enabling a new level of capability for connected vehicles.
Soon, the innovation around diagnosing problems in a vehicle's mechanical or electrical systems will shift from historic views to real-time insights that can combine with machine learning to provide “next best action” directions. Automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) offer versions of this today that result in a customer-care agent calling the driver to schedule the visit. The ability of the vehicle to do that itself is around the corner.
The sensors embedded in connected vehicles will also collect driving-pattern data and transmit this to automotive OEMs to identify design improvements and to create warning systems that will actively alert drivers when the risk of an accident is spotted.
The rise of “third platform” technology is a primary contributor to autonomic features in the connected vehicles. Not only do cloud technology and mobility play foundational roles but big-data analytics can also recognise patterns and identify problems on a predictive basis.
Add to this innovation accelerators including the Internet of Things and cognitive learning and the possibilities for new abilities grow exponentially. The innovation around diagnosing problems in a vehicle’s mechanical or electrical systems will shift from historic views to real-time insight that can combine with machine learning to provide next-best-action directions. A few connected car models were introduced at last year’s Thailand International Motor Expo, and the International Data Corporation expects more to be introduced in the near future.
In fact, IDC Thailand predicts a continued shift towards the vehicle playing a more active role in its care and maintenance and that a quarter of models released in 2019 will be able to report on their own health, request service calls, identify design improvements and validate warranty claims.
There will be implications for Thai manufacturers, service providers and other related industries such as insurance, transport and retail.
RONNACHAI LEELACHAT is senior market analyst, IDC Thailand.
