Intelligence

This market tracker contains analysis of electrified light vehicles BEV, HEV, PHEV in the U.S., China and Europe markets.

The Wards Intelligence 2022 software-defined vehicle survey underscores the insights of key players in the industry, emphasizing the pivotal role of SDVs in shaping the future of the automotive industry. 

This tracker looks at the Digital Economy Market in 2023 as automakers look to monetize software through subscription fees for additional features and services. The subscription market in automotive could include not only the roughly 100 million new vehicles sold globally on an annual basis, but also vehicles already in operation that are software defined and have 4G or 5G connectivity. Selected subscription services, technologies, and market outlook are presented along with results of Wards Intelligence Digital Economy and Software Defined Vehicle Survey. 

Software-defined-vehicle platform adoption advances slowly within the automotive industry, reflecting the intricate and profound nature of this transformative shift. In this report, Wards Intelligence delves into the challenges and prospects that lie ahead for the industry, drawing insights from the Wards Intelligence 2023 SDV survey.

Designing instrument panels that allow drivers to use their phones to take the place of expensive cockpit screens, head units and CPUs could make vehicles more affordable. The strategy already is in production in Europe and a Wards Intelligence North American industry survey shows the concept could be widely adopted. Many hurdles remain, but those who ignore this trend do so at their peril. India now is the world’s third-largest automotive market, and it is almost 100% entry-level vehicles.

Wards Intelligence meticulously evaluated and ranked the advancements of 22 automakers in their transition toward software-defined vehicles, offering a comprehensive snapshot of automakers' existing technical expertise and achievements within the realm of SDVs.

This comprehensive report looks at the connected car landscape exploring the impact of 5G, new architectures and the ascendancy of eSIMs as the OEM and CSP relationships develop.

In 2019, Mercedes-Benz and Geely partnered to revamp the strategy of Smart, with a shift in focus solely from microcars to the wider BEV segment. Since then, Smart has developed new software, vehicle platforms and organizational processes from scratch, laying the groundwork to compete in the software-defined vehicle era, and is ready to launch its second compact BEV model in Europe.

This tracker looks at cabin monitoring and the emerging technologies being developed to keep driver and occupants safe and comfortable. Also includes upcoming Euro NCAP and NHTSA rules for child presence detection and driver impairment detection, a list of cabin monitoring system suppliers, and recent survey results covering cabin monitoring technology acceptance.  

Cleaning sensors is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it so AV systems can operate safely and reliably in all weather conditions.  This has prompted the development of several creative technologies to keep sensors clean.

Even as AV truck and robotaxi technology, pilot testing and commercialization move forward, fear and resistance are slowing the advance of these self-driving vehicles.  Consumer sentiment, labor unions and experts are putting on the brakes in an attempt to forestall the inevitable or help ensure this revolution in mobility is done right.

See how automakers stack up in 2023 in AV development, technology, partnerships, vertical integration and commercialization efforts.  Learn why the top companies received high grades and why other OEMs need to catch up.