Vehicle Technology: Vehicle Connectivity Forum

The Vehicle Connectivity Forum panel session is slated for October 31 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the VCT Theater. Panelists will include Roger Berg, leader of Denso’s Wireless Technology Group; Joe Gross from Kicker; Precksha Saksena-Sood, managing director of Telematics Update; David Pio from Facebook; Jake Sigal, founder of Livio Radio; and Nick Pudar from OnStar FMV.

There’s still quite a disconnect between the automotive and the consumer electronics industries. OEMs need to invite apps into the car while making sure they don’t compromise safety or performance. The industries also need to provide software development kits that make it easier for manufacturers, developers and installers to tailor applications and provide personalized content to the car. Connected-vehicle technologies are driving automakers and aftermarket companies to new levels of collaboration and profitability—particularly in the area of integrating consumer and automotive electronics. Growth and innovation are all about connecting vehicles to consumer’s lifestyles, brands and experiences through vehicle performance, connectivity, dynamics and personalization.

“There are 250 million vehicles on the road in the United States today, and OEMs sell only 13 to 14 million new vehicles a year,” Waraniak said. “At that rate, it will take decades to get to a critical mass of new cars that can talk to one another to achieve the V2V communications network effect. But we could reach critical mass years sooner while simultaneously increasing sales for aftermarket manufacturers, retailers and installers by adding V2V communication capability through personal navigation devices, specialized aftermarket devices and smartphones—which is the Aftermarket X-Factor.”

Distracted driving and hands-free calling are both very hot topics these days, and Apple is looking to help solve the problem with its new automotive integration of Siri called Eyes Free. Apple’s interest in automotive, navigation and location-based services shows the importance of reaching consumers in the vehicle. Technology may yet bail us out of the problem of distracted driving—not by making us less distracted but by taking care of the driving.

Balancing entertainment options that drivers want—particularly the increasing connectivity demands from the younger generation—while ensuring that drivers aren’t too distracted is a continuing challenge for OEMs and aftermarket companies. Connected-vehicle technologies have the potential to avoid up to 80% of crash scenarios. NHTSA is asking carmakers to disable features that encourage drivers to take both hands off the wheel or glance away from the road for more than two seconds. Onboard vehicle technologies combined with built-in, beamed-in and brought-in technologies are creating many new and exciting product and service opportunities for specialty-equipment and performance aftermarket manufacturers, installers, retailers and distributors. By 2014, 70% of all consumer devices will be connected to the Internet, and many consumers want to extend their digital lifestyles into their vehicles.

Generation-O is the generation of 10- to 29-year-olds known as Optimizers. Gen-O will be the generation that shows the industry the way forward in how new technologies, apps and products will be used to connect to their vehicles and optimize the customer experience. Voice activation, gesture recognition and other technologies to mitigate distractions are already in or are on their way into the latest vehicles. Apple’s  Siri assistance function will certainly raise consumer expectations for voice-controlled user interaction with apps in their vehicles.

“Many millennials consider driving to be the distraction,” Waraniak said. “Those companies with platforms that force them to go off the grid will lose to those that do not. Over 1.8 billion youth have mobile phones, and 60% sleep with their phones. Nearly 80% would spend their last $10 bucks on topping off their phones—not their cars. If you are not connecting Gen-O users, you are interrupting them.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.sema.org/vehicletechnology/vtc-schedule

FREE EVENT: Pre-registration required.

To register, please visit: http://www.semashow.com/register