India’s connected car sales almost doubled in 2022, with around one in four cars having in-built cellular connectivity and services to enhance the in-vehicle digital experience, a report showed on Tuesday.
Maruti Suzuki’s Baleno was the smash-hit associated vehicle model in 2022, while MG, Hyundai, Kia, and Goodbye Engines drove as far as associated vehicle models’ portion in their portfolios.
Maruti’s Plan
The first non-premium model in India to feature embedded connected car was MG’s Hector, which went on sale in 2019 for less than Rs 20 lakh and had more than 50 features.
“At the moment, embedded connectivity is only available in select models’ top variants.” Abhik Mukherjee, a research analyst, stated, “But it will trickle down to more models in the coming years, with 2025 expected to be the inflection point.”
Inside Car Connected Services
- The services include connected car safety (such as diagnostic reports, crash detection, intrusion alert, and e-call),
- Advanced technologies (such as remote vehicle control, voice command, multimedia content streaming, and live weather),
- Navigation (such as live traffic, find my car, location-based search, geo-fencing, and intelligent routing).
According to the report, auto OEMs are embedding high-speed connectivity services and experiences into their connected car vehicles in response to growing consumer awareness, the spread of 4G and 5G networks, the race to differentiate in the premium segment, and the rising adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).
Other CarMakers Features
Other carmakers offering connected features include Tata Motors, Hyundai, and Kia, with models like the Tata Nexon EV, Hyundai Creta, Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos, and Kia Sonet. Models from ultra-premium brands, like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Jeep, and Volvo, already have in-vehicle connectivity as a common feature.
What Maruti Manager Have To Say?
Senior analyst Soumen Mandal stated, “We expect rapid growth in the adoption of embedded telematics in new conected car sales with Maruti Suzuki stepping up its focus on the segment.” The increasing number of EVs on the road is another factor driving the rise.
“Telematics plays a crucial role in an EV as it transmits different data related to vehicle and battery health in addition to basic services,” Mandal added. The report estimated that three out of four cars sold in India would have some in-built connectivity by the end of this decade.
Conclusion
- The automotive industry is at a turning point.
- Self-driving cars have yet to reach the point many predicted by now, and competition, as always, remains fierce.
- Yet mobile technology can go a long way toward helping customers enjoy a holistic user experience as cars and smartphones interact in new and/or enhanced ways to create “the connected car.”
However, for automakers to get this right, they’ll need to prioritize change management and a solid partner strategy. Now is a great time to lay a strong foundation for and gain a competitive advantage from the experiences customers will soon come to expect.