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Thefutureoftheautomotiveindustryishere,bringingtrendsofelectrification,autonomousvehicles,AI,IoT,machinelearning,andsustainabilityinwhatmaybethemostexcitingtimeforautomotiveinnovationsincetheinceptionofthemotorcar.
Amodernpassengervehicleisamarvelofdesignandengineeringandanepicenterfortechnologicalconvergence.Itisanexampleofsuperiormechanicalhandlingthatisalsoacomputer,anInternetofThings(IoT)device,comfortablefurniture,andaclimate-controlledenvironment—onethathastokeephumanbeingssafewhilemovingfastthroughtraffic.
Tomakesuchasingularproduct,theautomotiveindustrydeploysthelatestinartificialintelligence(AI),virtualreality(VR),andothertechnologiesthatmakevehicledesignandproductionfaster,morecreativeandconfigurable,moresustainable,efficient,andmoresoftware-anddata-based.Theindustrydoesallthiswhilefacingmanypressures,aswellasopportunities,frommultipleangles.
Continuinganongoingtrend,vehicleelectrificationisstillontherise.Moreautomakersareinvestingindevelopingelectricvehicles(EVs)tomeetthegrowingdemandforenvironmentallyfriendlymobilitysolutionsandtocomplywithgovernmentmandatesincertaincountriesandstates.
AnSDVcanmodifyandimprovethatfunctionalitywithover-the-airsoftwareupdates—likeasmartphoneupdatingitsoperatingsystem(OS).WithanSDV,automakersdecouplevehiclehardwareandsoftwarefunctionswhilemakingsurethatthehardwareandsoftwarecollaborateandalignwitheachother.
AutomakerscanalsomonetizenewservicesandsalesfromSDVs.Asconnectedcars,theycanbecomepartofthedrivers’smarthomeandaconduittopaymentservicessuchasstreamingcontent,smarthomesubscriptions,roadsideassistanceservices,andsoon.
Therearemanywaysinwhichtheautomotiveindustryisworkingtowardhelpingratherthanhinderingsustainabilitygoals.
ThedifferentvarietiesofAI,likemachinelearningandgenerativeAI,playahugeroleintheautomotiveindustry,fromdesigntomanufacturingtooperationofthefinishedvehicle.
Ifdriversenterpersonaldetailslikeschedules,acar’sinternalsystemcouldoffercalendarremindersandsynctheGPSwithcalendarappointmentlocations.Dependingonthelevelofavehicle’sADAS,itcouldpersonalizecertainhandlingcharacteristicstoaperson’sdrivingstyleorpreferences,aswellasmonitordrivingconditionsforsignsofdriverfatigueordistractionandreactaccordingly.
Thegrowinginterestinvehiclesubscriptionplansalsooffersalevelofpersonalization;dependingonavailability,subscriberscouldchoosetheirpreferredcarfordifferentoccasions.
Manyofthetopautomotiveindustrytrendsrelatetoandreinforceeachother.Electrification,AI,and3Dprintingcanallreinforcesustainability.SoftwareandAIarevitaltovehicleautonomy,amajorconcernfornewsafetyregulations.AndtheconnectedvehiclebecomingapartoftheIoTmeansthatsoftware-andAI-poweredcarspresentopportunitiesforpersonalization,customization,andnewbusinessmodels.
Withalloftheseconvergingtrends,nowmaybethemostexcitingtimeforautomotiveinnovationsincetheinceptionofthemotorcar,andit’suptodesignersandmanufacturerstomanifestautomotivepossibilitiesthatworkbestfortheircustomers,theirbusinesses,andtheplanet.
Thisarticlehasbeenupdated.ItoriginallypublishedMay2023.
MarkkusRovitojoinedAutodeskasacontractorsixyearsagoandjoinedtheteamfull-timeasacontentmarketingspecialistfocusingonSEOandownedmedia.AftergraduatingfromOhioUniversitywithajournalismdegree,Rovitowroteaboutmusictechnology,computers,consumerelectronics,andelectricvehicles.SincehistimewithAutodesk,he’sdevelopedagreatappreciationforexcitingemergingtechnologiesthatarechangingtheworldofdesign,manufacturing,architecture,andconstruction.
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