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Inside Look: Cars.com and the future of the connected car

Amelia Baer
  • Amelia Baer
  • February 20, 2015
Inside Look: Cars.com and the future of the connected car

Automakers and consumers alike are eager to see what the future of the car holds. As the Chicago Auto Show wraps up, there’s no question that technology is the key component to bridging the gap between automakers and the people behind the wheel. It clears that in order for CarPlay, Android Auto, and other connected car technologies to be successful, both consumers and automakers need to benefit.

At this year’s Chicago Auto Show Media Preview, Punchkick had the opportunity to chat with Joe Wiesenfelder, Executive Editor at Cars.com and thought leader in the automotive technology space and discuss these trends shaping the auto industry.

Customer Awareness

How technologies are impacting the industry and its relationship to buyers is still being examined—Wiesenfelder stressed the need for increased awareness of the powers of mobile operating systems integrating with vehicles. From where we stood, Wiesenfelder pointed over his shoulder at Hyundai’s large displays showing off demos for CarPlay and Android Auto, explaining that he believes consumers will love these technologies once they better understand their impact on their lives.

Audi-connected-car
He discussed how these operating systems represent a couple important things in the long term. “One is that you’re not paying for the same thing twice,” Wiesenfelder said. “Currently, if you buy a car and pay for the navigation option, it’s out of date from the minute you buy the car. I don’t mean the maps, I mean the whole thing. Meanwhile, your phone is updating every two weeks with a new version.”

“With CarPlay and Android Auto consumers get the benefit of not having to pay for the same features twice.”

Further, Wiesenfelder explained that he sees a level of trust built between consumers and smartphone manufacturers that isn’t being developed between some customers and automakers. The level of comfort smartphone users have with the devices depends on the ability to deliver best-in-class experiences in real time, which ultimately provides the most value for customers.

Automaker Adoption

The auto industry is comprised of so many moving parts that it’s constantly challenged by the ability to make timely changes. Mobile is a fluid, customizable experience than can be integrated into vehicles to alleviate bottlenecks to certain functionality in cars. Wiesenfelder explained that historically automakers are accustomed to building products to last and be durable—ideas like “open systems” and “open source” are traditionally not in automakers’ vocabulary—but it’s now becoming a viable business option. Getting automakers completely onboard will result in big advancements for the relationship between a car and its driver.

“If you want the car of today to work with the phone of tomorrow, or six years from now, or beyond, presumably systems like CarPlay and Android Auto are going to allow that to happen.”

Wiesenfelder commented on how Tesla has been forward thinking in incorporating technology into the dashboard since the beginning, and this year the Volvo XC90 is another example of the movement towards a large touchscreen dashboard with minimal physical buttons. Automakers are giving themselves a great opportunity to make upgrades in the future—Audi already lets consumers make a modular upgrade by replacing a processor.

“Having an updatable set of functions and apps is huge. It’s a way for the car to evolve without relying on the car itself to evolve.”

Audi-connected-car

And Beyond

While walking around the floors of the Auto Show, it’s obvious that moves are being made to put the mobile in automobile. Wiesenfelder and Punchkick discussed a world where the connected car was central to a consumer’s day-to-day lifestyle. Because there is potential for a tight integration between the vehicle and the smartphone, the total overall customer experience is ripe for change. A connected car approaches the garage and the connected thermostat is proactively adjusting the air conditioning to the driver’s preferences.

Wiesenfelder explained, “There’s a notion out there that a younger demographic—millennials—aren’t interested in cars. They just love their smartphones and electronics. But in most circumstances, you’ll eventually need a car, and if that’s true, then associating a car with a phone or allowing your mobile software to interface more robustly with cars is only going to be good for them. And whichever company gets in there first will enjoy the spoils.”

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