And we no longer operate in a closed, automotive-only environment
A very few years ago, people in the industry were joking that the car would soon become little more than a mobile platform for the newest electronic gadgetry. It’s no longer a joke.
‘Infotainment’ technology – which encompasses all manner of information, entertainment and communication devices – is now a key feature of almost every new car, truck and utility vehicle on the market. And manufacturers are frantically competing to outdo each other with the latest and greatest digital techno-magic.
Barely months ago, an iPod connection in your vehicle was considered cutting edge. Now, it seems, if you haven’t got a WiFi Internet connection, you’re not in the game. The connectivity race has become the new horsepower race. (See story on page 28.)
David Mondragon, president and CEO of Ford Canada addressed the matter of connectivity in his opening remarks at the Canadian International Auto Show.
“An emerging generation expects to be ‘plugged in’ 24/7 – and they don’t expect to be unplugged just because they happen to be traveling in their vehicle,” he said.
Mondragon also noted that, at the Consumer
Electronics Show earlier this year in Las Vegas, two
out of the five keynote addresses were delivered by automotive manufacturers.
“Think about that,” he said. “Forty percent of the most significant keynote speeches at the world’s most significant electronics and entertainment gathering were delivered by automotive manufacturers. We are not creating simple transportation devices any more – we’re creating highly intelligent, highly sophisticated consumer goods!”
Which means, he concluded, that customers increasingly expect their experience when interacting with their automobile supplier to be as good as their experience when they interact with their other favourite brands – not just automotive brands.
“We no longer operate in a closed, automotive-only environment, where we benchmark each other, and ‘good enough’ is good enough. We have to adopt best-in-class behaviours from wherever we find them.”
And he wasn’t talking just about manufacturers.
