Skip to main content

Growth of OEM telematics in new passenger cars

The latest research by ABI Research forecasts the global penetration of embedded and hybrid factory installed OEM telematics in new passenger cars to exceed 72 per cent by 2021. Growth will mainly be driven by key volume car OEMs in the US, European Union and China markets. Brands within these markets showing accelerated growth include GM, which expects to reach 12 million OnStar subscribers globally by the end of 2016, including its Opel brand in Europe and Cadillac in China; and Ford, which claims to have
March 3, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The latest research by 5725 ABI Research forecasts the global penetration of embedded and hybrid factory installed OEM telematics in new passenger cars to exceed 72 per cent by 2021. Growth will mainly be driven by key volume car OEMs in the US, European Union and China markets. Brands within these markets showing accelerated growth include 1959 GM, which expects to reach 12 million OnStar subscribers globally by the end of 2016, including its 4233 Opel brand in Europe and Cadillac in China; and Ford, which claims to have already 15 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road worldwide.

“While lower cost hybrid approaches remain attractive to end users, a clear trend toward embedded solutions can be observed, as illustrated by Ford’s recently announced SYNC Connect,” says Dominique Bonte, managing director and vice president at ABI Research. “At the same time, embedded solutions are made more affordable through shared data plans, allowing customers to avoid purchasing a separate connected car data plan by adding allowing their connected cars to existing plans.”

The rising embedded solutions trend is resulting in fierce competition among carriers vying to capture lucrative connected car market share in an increasingly saturated mobile environment. While in the US, AT&T and Verizon are pitched against each other, Vodafone, T-Mobile, and Telefonica are competing in Europe. Meanwhile in China, major carriers are also actively targeting the automotive segment.

The strong expected growth of OEM connected car solutions  is due to a number of factors, which include eCall mandates in the EU and Russia, increasing user awareness about safety, and improved value propositions through additional services such as  UBI, preventive maintenance, and remote control capabilities via smartphones and wearables.

Additionally, ABI Research anticipates next-generation use cases, such as vehicles used as delivery locations and Car-to-Home applications, to start gaining momentum and increase the perceived value of connected car offers from car manufacturers like 609 Volvo, 278 Ford, 1731 BMW, and 1686 Toyota.

“Despite major market growth in OEM telematics, though, cyber security continues to remain a challenge,” concludes Bonte. “To overcome this obstacle, many car OEMs are implementing over-the-air software capabilities, which in itself is expected to become a major growth driver for vehicle connectivity in the future.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Zipcar acquires leading Austrian car sharing service
    July 12, 2012
    Zipcar, which claims to be the world's leading car sharing network, has announced the acquisition of Denzel Mobility CarSharing in Austria, which operates under the name CarSharing.at. This transaction follows Zipcar's acquisition of a controlling interest in Barcelona-based Catalunya Carsharing, known as Avancar, in February 2012. The acquisition also comes on the heels of Zipcar's integration of Streetcar operations in the UK last year and the recent appointment of Frerk-Malte Feller as president of Zipca
  • Connected vehicles take modern spin on an old classic
    February 13, 2024
    How do we transition the millions of vehicles on the world’s road to a connected and - one day - automated future? Andy Graham of White Willow Consulting highlights an intriguing pilot which sought to make some of the UK’s oldest vehicles connected – using just a phone
  • Toyota rises to Olympic AV mobility challenge
    October 24, 2019
    With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics fast approaching, Toyota is adapting 20 of its e-Palette autonomous shuttles to move contestants around the athletes’ village. Adoption of the automated electric vehicles has been based in part on feedback from athletes from past games about their mobility needs. The 5.2m long e-Palette shuttles feature large doors, a low floor and electric ramps to allow up to 20 Olympians or four wheelchair Paralympians (plus additional standing passengers), to board quickly and easily.
  • Road safety systems implementation needs legislation
    February 27, 2012
    A few years back, as part of ongoing efforts to better myself, I took to reading the literary classics. I