Please note: This study is only available in German. 

The days of road congestion caused by cars waiting at the traffic lights will soon be a thing of the past thanks to vehicles' ability to calculate the optimal speed for green phases. In a few years’ time, connected cars that are able to send, receive and process data will be the rule and no longer the exception. However, drivers will not be the only ones to profit from intelligent communication systems in cars. Carmakers, dealers and service partners should already use the new information possibilities in the introduction phase to exploit potentials in marketing and distribution as well as in after sales (services). Bain & Company unveils the first steps towards the digital car world.

Telematics in the automotive industry: An innovation becomes standard

The year 2015 will be a milestone for the connected car. This is when all new cars throughout the whole of Europe will be fitted out with eCall. This emergency call system for automobiles will automatically report accidents to the emergency number via mobile phone and GPS. It will represent a breakthrough for telematics in new cars: By 2020 an estimated 90 million connected cars will have been sold in Europe.

More knowledge means more customer orientation

Connected cars not only report accidents but also regularly supply OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) with valuable customer data, for example on driving behavior, a car's state of repairs and fuel consumption. This is valuable knowledge, particularly when combined with dealer data, customer feedback data, social media contributions and trend analyses, as it delivers reference points for product improvement as well as complementary services. The driver can be supplied with situation-relevant information via, for example, multimedia systems on traffic jams or tips on how best to save fuel – a genuine value added for the car driver and a distinguishing feature for the carmaker. Retail and Service will also benefit: Customer bonding can be strengthened by the driver receiving information on the next general inspection together with the address of the nearest service station.

Take first steps quickly to exploit market opportunities

Until now many carmakers have only been working on partial solutions, and there are good reasons for this. After all, unlike in other IT-related industries the Big Data project in the automotive industry is an exceptionally time-consuming task. Crucial market shares could get lost during this period. Hence, the important thing now is to swiftly implement first applications while at the same time keeping an eye on the manifold business potentials. To begin with, social media information can be linked with traditional CRM and sales data, enabling specific customer segments to be formed which can be directly approached by marketing. At the same time the carmakers' R&D department will have access to this data in order to define customer requirements.

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