The rapid developments reflected by the automotive sector are hard to overlook. It is an undeniable fact that these developments are likely to manifold with the passing time. According to a domain expert Nikhil Kaitwade, the penetration of digital transformation is likely to enhance the capabilities of future mobility. Nikhil has worked on over 250 research assignments pertaining to the automotive, materials, chemicals, and energy sector and has more than 8 years of experience in the consulting and market research industry. With superior expertise backed by his experience in nearly 30 reputed companies as a lead consultant, Nikhil discusses the top automotive trends that are likely to disrupt the market for years to come.
- Ride-hailing Services Gain Momentum
Ride-hailing services are amongst the top megatrends defining the future of the automotive sector. A large number of automotive companies are recognizing the potential held by this business. There are several developments pertaining to the ride-hailing services, observed across the sector.
For instance, Xpeng Motors based in China recently introduced a ride-hailing service to tackle completion. Also, a joint venture between the car sharing giant, Didi Chuxing and Softbank Corp.—Didi Mobility recently declared its plans to expand its taxi-hailing service in 13 Japanese cities including Kyoto and Tokyo.
- Automakers Prepare for Electric Mobility
The electric vehicle trend is expanding like wildfire across the automotive sector. A number of investments and manufacturing efforts are concentrated on vehicle electrification. Automakers are placing their bets on this segment on a large scale.
Leading carmaker Fords recently accelerated electric vehicle investment. The company is growing the manufacturing of all-electric vehicles at its Michigan-based plant, backed by an investment of nearly $900m. Mahindra also plans to supply electric vehicle parts for which the company planned investment of 1000 crore by 2020.
- Autonomous Vehicles in Shared Transportation
Autonomous, driverless, self-driving cars are marking the future of mobility. The cutting-edge technologies incorporated across the automotive sector are transforming how vehicles would be driven over the coming years. Cities in developed as well as developing nations are deploying self-driving cars in shared transportation on a large scale. This trend is likely to bring noteworthy developments in the automotive sector.
A leading bus manufacturer—New Flyer recently unveiled its autonomous technology program for engineering and deploying driver-assist technology and the capabilities of self-driving for public transit agencies.
The Canadian streets marked the deployment of self-driving cars. The City of Beaumont and the Pacific Western Transportation worked in collaboration to enable the deployment of the self-driving shuttle on the Beaumont streets.
- Artificial Intelligence in Automobile Industry
Technologies including artificial intelligence are changing the face of future mobility with a focus on improving the capabilities of next-gen cars. Incorporation of artificial intelligence is increasing over time in applications such as improved control and for enhancing the in-vehicle experience.
Daimler AG and Xilinx, Inc. collaborated for developing an in-vehicle system based on AI processing. This system is likely to deliver high-performance, low latency, and power-efficiency for embedded automotive AI applications.
Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd recently stated the deployment of artificial intelligence for its stereo camera. Designed for automatic brakes, the new AI sensor designed by Hitachi enhances the performance of the automatic brakes as it realizes a function to detect pedestrians in the night-time.
- Manufacturing Capabilities Scale up as 3D Printing Gains Popularity
3D printing technology is becoming immensely popular across various end-use sectors. 3D printing has redefined the capabilities of automobile manufacturing in terms of speed and efficiency. Moreover, it majorly supports automakers in producing lightweight auto components that are gaining major application as a result of the growing emphasis given to reduce the overall weight of vehicles, particularly in electric vehicles. Companies are relying on 3D printing for the manufacturing automotive components.
BMW Group is aggressively pursuing additive manufacturing along with which it has been utilizing 3D printing for over 25 years. The company has manufactured a million automotive parts with the help of the 3D printing technology.