Atlanta--Hughes Telematics Inc. (HTI) delivered the keynote address at Telematics Update’s 2009 Detroit conference on June 3 in Detroit.
The keynote, delivered by Kevin Link, HTI’s vice president of marketing, focused on the next-generation “connected car” and the role telematics services will play in reigniting America’s love affair with the automobile.
Backed by industry research, HTI presented its position on why consumers not only crave connectivity, but are obsessed with it. The next generation of car buyers will expect connectivity and seamless integration between their vehicles and the rest of their connected network.
Research shows that less concern will be placed on the automotive brand and more on the vehicle’s technology capabilities.
“In this increasingly digital age, we are seeing buyers placing more emphasis on technology integration specifically around connected services,” said Erik Goldman, president of HTI.
“Telematics will become a buying criterion as these services evolve from an optional benefit to a necessity,” he said.
Consumers’ obsession with connectivity is a key driving factor for the development of telematics, Goldman said.
In addition to buyer behavior, there are other new drivers for telematics adoption such as OEM interest in reducing vehicle cost, which includes the cost to integrate vehicle components as well as the cost to reflash vehicles with updated software. With initiatives such as Eco Telematics, eCall, stolen vehicle services, and new emission regulations, the government also becomes a contributing motivator for telematics.
All of those forces combine to create not only the need and the want, but also the necessity, thus helping to shape the technology of tomorrow’s vehicle.
Telematics services have seen tremendous change since first offered in the mid 1990s, and the next-generation buyer will demand more change and innovation for a fully connected society, Goldman said.
HTI uses a flexible and scalable architecture to offer telematics solutions with an enhanced user interface in a safe format for drivers.
Those OEMs that innovate with telematics will meet the demands of the next-generation buyer; those that don’t will be left behind, Goldman said.
