CAR SPECIAL.................... HOW CONNECTIVITY IS TRANSFORMING YOUR CAR

HOW CONNECTIVITY IS TRANSFORMING YOUR CAR





Communication technologies, information systems and safety gadgets are all being bundled into cars to make them more safer, convenient and sophisticated.

 Lijee Philip provides a glimpse into the future of Indian cars

In the not so distant future, your car could well do as much driving as you... or more. Sensors could warn you of potholes ahead and alert you to low tyre pressure; driver-assist systems with some element of artificial intelligence could advise you against attempting a risky manoeuvre to overtake a vehicle ahead. All through your daily drives, your car will also send reports to your insurance company , leading to lower premium for consistently safe driving.

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance is already willing to incentivise customers willing to install connected car technology . “We can even give up to 50% discount on renewals for these cars,“ says Vijay Kumar, head of motor insurance.

The “connected car“, an automated bundle of communication technologies, information systems and safety gadgets is already happening. Traditionally , automotive technology has focused on improving the vehicle's internal functions. Now carmakers have turned their gaze to develop the car's ability to connect with the outside world through the internet. The connected car will be more convenient, safer and sophisticated than the ones on the road today (see Internet on Wheels). Some of these features already exist in a few car models. The most striking examples are infotainment systems that stream music and videos, provide traffic updates and navigate via satellites. Services based on data relayed from the car, such as diagnosing the health of the vehicle, discovering faulty parts, providing driving behaviour analytics and reminders to service the vehicle have also made their way into cars.

Globally , advancements have been more widespread.Some Mercedez Benz cars can do a fair amount of autonomous driving -steer, brake and accelerate by themselves -under slow traffic conditions. In a few BMW models, smartphones are already connected to the vehicle, which help drivers check the battery capacity of the car. Google has been experimenting with a fully autonomous car that will drive by itself.

COMPUTERISED CARS

High-end cars today already boast of 100 micro controllers which automatically check for safety and fuel economy of the car, besides infotainment. Such cars have the computing power of 20 personal computers, feature about 100 million lines of programming code, and process up to 25 gigabytes of data an hour, according to a study by McKinsey , a consulting firm.

Besides BMW and Mercedez, other automobile powerhouses such as Fiat-Chrysler, Ford Motor, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and the VW Group, all of which sell their vehicles in India, are investing heavily in hardware and software to connect drivers to the mobile web.Ford Ecosport, for example, has a voice controlled in-car communications and entertainment system called SYNC, powered by Microsoft, which helps the driver make and answer calls, play and control the music playback as well as read out SMSes and reply from a set of pre-set templates, all with voice commands.

The global efforts of carmakers are based on similar partnerships and in some cases, competition, with makers of smart devices. Google and Apple, for example, have taken their battle in smartphones to the digital dashboard. Last year, Google unveiled a vehicle-infotainment system called Android Auto to take on CarPlay , a version developed by Apple.

These efforts are reflected in the 27 million vehicles worldwide connected to the internet, a number predicted to triple by 2022, according to IHS Automotive, an auto sector market data provider. The sheer lucrativeness of connectivity will drive this transformation: the global market for connectivity parts is set to balloon from $30 billion today to $170 billion by 2020. Indian carmakers, as you would expect, are still playing catch-up. The number of cars in India with even basic connectivity today is only 1.4% of the total, according to automobile industry analysts. One key reason is the dilemma carmakers face in ramping up products because of the famed price consciousness of Indians. Will more features bump up costs and turn away buyers?
Industry experts say telematics in a connected car will spike costs by `5,000-10,000 and infotainment and diagnostics by `25,000-50,000. Manufacturers have yet to put a figure to autonomous driving as it is still in the development stage. But the good news for them is that customers themselves are nudging companies to pack features.

PUSH FROM CUSTOMERS

In 2013, Tata Motors introduced ConnectNext as one of the core pillars of its way-forward strategy . The tool enables drivers to stay connected at all times, by integrating the customer's mobile device and the navigation system on the Bolt and Zest models with MapmyIndia. “We anticipate that this functionality will become an increasingly important factor in a customer's consideration for purchase just as weighs the fuel economy in a car,“ says Leverton.

Rival Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), the maker of Scorpio and XUV 500 cars, has turned to technology providers to bring content and solutions such as location-based services, shopping deals, integrated information on mass transportation to its vehicles, says Rajan Wadhera, president and chief executive (truck and powertrain) head -MRV , M&M. Connectivity , he says, is helping the way his company makes cars. “With more connectivity , we can get deeper insights into the driving conditions and styles that will help us in bettering our vehicle design.“ M&M's electric vehicle, Mahindra Reva, connects on a mobile platform, helping the driver to lock and open doors, control temperature and remotely trigger the battery for extra mileage.

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, has introduced the Smart Play Infotainment Navigation system that allows customers to hook up their smartphones with cars. The company also unveiled an app called My Care -Service that allows customers to examine service records, cost of maintenance and schedule of next service. “In-car connectivity will bring more value to customers in terms of diagnostics information and reducing time of servicing,“ says CV Raman, executive director, engineering, Maruti Suzuki. These are all indications that connectivity of cars will soon become an important buying condition for customers. Driver assistance systems such as self-parking, collision warnings, fatigue warning devices, integrated cameras, proximity sensors, adaptive headlights and a host of safety features will increasingly become widespread in Indian cars.

The number of cars in India with basic connectivity is expected to grow to nearly 2.5% by 2020. That might seem slow progress, but the impatience of customers for modern services and their money-making capacity could hasten the transition.

Abdul Majeed, partner, PwC, says automotive industry players are racing for a share of this lucrative market.“Those who slow down may never catch up.“

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