Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) used to differentiate their products based on mechanical features. Today, consumers are increasingly looking for software-defined features, such as driver assistance, connectivity, and comfort-convenience services. The convergence of technologies, including electrification, autonomous driving, shared mobility, and connectivity, is causing OEMs to migrate from traditional hardpoint-defined architecture to software-oriented architecture. Meanwhile, these trends are reshaping customer expectations and forcing OEMs to address them in new-generation vehicles, turning vehicles into software on wheels.

Similar to the mobile phone industry, the automotive industry is experiencing a rebirth, and traditional business models of cyclical revenue generation are challenged by continuous cash flow generation throughout the vehicle life cycle. The automotive industry is transitioning from a hardware to a software approach to building vehicles. Vehicles are increasingly complex, with more lines of software code than in previous years.

The software-defined vehicle (SDV) concept has gained traction, impacting product and feature development philosophies. Beyond unlocking new safety, comfort, and convenience features, SDVs offer more advantages than their hardware-defined counterparts. SDVs allow customers over-the-air (OTA) updates that cover firmware patches, infotainment to receive improvements, monitoring and tuning of core functional capabilities, such as powertrain and vehicle dynamics, and feature-on-demand comfort-convenience services. This allows OEMs to improve and upgrade vehicles on the go throughout their life cycle while generating revenue from feature-on-demand services, culminating in deeper, more connected relationships with customers.

SDVs are also at the forefront of monumental changes in the automotive industry; they are changing the way vehicles are designed and developed. Changes in architecture are evident, with OEMs preferring new architecture over traditional platform architecture.

This research service benchmarks 3 North American OEMs' SDV strategies. It discusses the impact of these trends on Ford, GM, and Tesla. The analysis also covers the ecosystem surrounding the OEMs and suppliers in the SDV space.

Author: Thirumalai Narasimhan