Automakers eye bigger role for
mobile via ridesharing, open-source software
Mobile’s role in the auto industry
is already on track to hit new heights in 2016 as General Motors invests in
Lyft and Toyota bypasses tech giants to embrace’s Ford’s solution for dashboard
integration.
As mobile’s influence continues to
grow, auto brands are looking beyond simply integrating mobile into their
marketing plans and toward capitalizing on emerging opportunities such as
on-demand ridesharing. These marketers are also recognizing the need to own the
in-car experience, which involves a growing array of smartphone-driven
services, and not ceding a portion of it to tech companies such as Apple and
Google.
“Car manufacturers are no doubt
seeing the scale of these emerging economies and want to have a foothold among
the winners,” said Howie Schwartz, CEO of Crowded.com. “I believe we're going
to see more investments in the [ridesharing] space.
“Some will be homegrown
technologies such as Ford's investment and others will be investments into
other companies such as GMs investment into Lyft,” he said.
“Many of the rideshare companies
already have requirements on the type of car they want their drivers to use,
ranging from how many doors it has, to the year, make and model. It will be
interesting to see if more General Motors cars will be used by Lyft drivers in
the near future.”
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