Connectivity

The launch of three automotive connectivity trackers highlights the impact of the technology

Toyota’s connected-tech guru predicts automakers won’t make billions on subscriptions, at least not initially.

Connectivity is now an essential technology in consumers lives and yet it has been slow to manifest as a must have service for US drivers. This tracker looks at how connectivity packages continue to evolve. When Wards intelligence started to look at this back in 2021 there were on average 15 connectivity features offered with the maximum being 23. As the tracker now shows the average is 19 features with the maximum being 34.

This connectivity market forecast looks at the number of vehicles being sold and global parc of operational vehicles that have factory installed connectivity from 2014 and forward looking to 2034. 

The cloud to car continuum is an essential part of the new automotive business model. It enables the new vehicle platforms and upends the design paradigms of the last 100 years. This tracker presents the shifts in technology and the dynamics of the individual companies that have different ideas and approaches to address the diverse areas required to fulfil the potential of the connected car.

A recent Wards Intelligence survey finds three key elements driving the ongoing SDV transformation: the timely introduction of new features OTA, more efficient product development and the enablement of Level 2+ and Level 3 automation. Nevertheless, the results suggest that perceived SDV benefits vary significantly according to a company’s position in the automotive value chain. 

Qualcomm’s Nakul Duggal discusses what defines a software-defined vehicle and what it will take to get there. 

Stuck with a design vocabulary that is dated and distracting, new technologies are being unleashed to create new features and capabilities.

In pulling together Faurecia and Hella to form Forvia, executives say they have created a Tier 1 supplier with the size and breadth to continue to innovate. A key, they believe, will be developing products consumers really want and can afford.

NVIDIA remains a leader in autonomous driving and shows an increased focus on infotainment, but the spotlight is on its metaverse technology. Omniverse will support the testing of autonomous vehicles, cloud-native software development for software-defined vehicles, vehicle manufacturing and even retailing.

The new model comes equipped to accommodate Level 3 highway pilot autonomous driving and a number of other yet-to-be-determined features – some of which will be sold through subscriptions.

NXP’s new i.MX 95 is designed to handle mixed-criticality in intelligent edge applications, including automotive, through flexible heterogeneous computing domains compliant with ASIL-B and SIL2 safety standards. The processor provides safe and efficient AI processing to eCokpit and connectivity domains.