As consumer buying trends evolve, we see a future where vehicle ownership declines and car-sharing takes a higher profile, particularly in urban areas. As automakers lose their grip on revenue streams gained by tech companies in their quest to deliver connected car platforms, the decline in car ownership caused by this trend might finally be a technical innovation “call to action.”
Jaguar Land Rover isn’t taking this trend lightly. The company recently announced plans to win over urban dwellers in Europe who are more attracted to their smartphones than to their vehicles. Their strategy? Making the vehicles more intelligent, customizable and connected.
What we like about JLR’s announcement is the customer experience and intuitiveness that is being engineered into their in-car systems from the beginning – at least from what we understand today. “It’s more of a feeling of the car becoming a much smarter and a much more alive thing to interact with,” said Anthony Harper, Jaguar’s head of research.
On-board cameras will recognize the driver’s face, and signals picked up from smartphones will be used to adapt climate and driving settings for that person. The potential data processing capabilities suggest even moods can be accommodated through customized lighting, music and other sensory input for the driver. You can’t you get that through mass transit.
So while automakers might rightly decide to outsource some of their connected car program to stay ahead of the game, they should consider innovating their in-car technology to attract the buyers of tomorrow. Automakers should take heed of JLR’s strong suggestion that offering more innovative, smarter connected car programs is not just an issue of market competition – it could be one of survival.
Source: Jaguar Land Rover developing a smarter car to woo city dwellers – Automotive News