The automotive world is undergoing a radical change, in which two completely different industries—automotive and tech—are rapidly merging, providing the industry with its most challenging transformation in over a century. This is marked by a shift from internal combustion engines towards electric vehicles (EVs) and a shift from vehicles that are almost exclusively mechanical machines to ones with increasingly complex software-defined systems.
The software-defined vehicle (SDV) is just emerging, and it will continue to evolve over the next decade, creating a nearly $650 billion value potential for the auto industry by 2030, making up 15% to 20% of automotive value. Further, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) revenues from automotive software and electronics will grow nearly three-fold between now and 2030, from $87 billion to $248 billion, according to a BCG analysis of SDV growth. And the supplier market for automotive software and electronics will nearly double, from $236 billion to $411 billion.
“The magnitude of change that the software-defined vehicle represents cannot be overstated. Software changes the source of competitive advantage at the heart of the product, the way and speed at which innovation is achieved, the role of firms and entire industries in making the car, and the relationship to the end user,” said Alex Koster, a BCG managing director and senior partner and global lead for the firm’s automotive technology business. “More than ever before, realizing the SDV and key functionalities such as advanced driver assistance will require combining the DNA of automotive and technology firms. Getting started now by figuring out their suitable role in this new environment is crucial for both industries.”
In the past, partnering has been limited as most companies were trying to develop individual solutions to occupy potential control points on their own. In future stages, technology complexity and ecosystem dynamics are making partnering and cross-industry collaboration essential to scale, improve safety, and meet customer demands.
Five Essential Insights for Industry Players
- The industries’ SDV transformation is overshadowed by complexity, and cross-industry collaboration will play a critical role to regain scale.
- Collaboration needs to start on the basis of a shared, cross-industry tech stack taxonomy.
- Industry alignment forges ahead with interoperable platform development, driving industry profitability.
- Diverging regional innovation pace, user realities, and regulations require regional collaboration clusters.
- To thrive in a partnering-first world, organizations need to build their internal and external collaboration muscles, anchored in their operating model.
With the coming transition to the more developed stages of the software-defined vehicle, industry-wide, interoperable platforms are elementary to reactivate simplicity and scale. Forging alliances and partnerships across all layers of the vehicle will be crucial. Cross-industry collaboration is unlocking a fast-track—whether to develop cutting edge tech solutions or integrate platforms efficiently. In this new, partnering-first world, collaboration across organizational and industry silos becomes the new super-skill.
“New partnerships between the auto industry and technology companies must be fostered to fully realize the benefits software-defined vehicles can offer,” said Maya Ben Dror, practice manager, Automotive and New Mobility, World Economic Forum. “‘Automotive in the Software-Driven Era’ was created by industry leaders in Davos to serve as a platform for cross-industry and public-private collaboration purposed at improving safety, inclusivity, sustainability, and overall system resilience.”
