The most connected car on the planet is manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, according to Machina Research’s 2016 ranking of global automotive manufacturers based on their connected vehicles systems.
Mercedes, with its mbrace and Mercedes me systems, offers the most complete set of IoT features and solutions. BMW came second with ConnectedDrive, followed by GM, which was something of a trailblazer with OnStar, Machina said.
The last five years have seen an increased focus from automotive OEMs on connected car services, with infotainment, remote control and diverse other connected services increasingly seen as a key differentiator. The study ranks the relative sophistication of connected car offerings from the main automotive OEMs based on features and functionality, said Pierce Owen, IoT Analyst at Machina Research.
“The connected car is one of the most important segments of the IoT and one of its more interesting vertical ecosystems,” Owen said. “The OEMs must work with MNOs, suppliers, software engineers and so many others to deliver working, connected, easy-to-use systems for their customers. Mercedes, BMW and GM have made excellent headway here, but there are still opportunities and room for growth”.
Eighteen OEMs were included in the rankings. Here are the top ten:
- Mercedes-Benz
- BMW
- GM
- Audi
- Volvo
- Volkswagen
- Lexus
- Hyundai (tied)
- Nissan (tied)
- Jaguar Land Rover
Machina Research identified a set of criteria which characterize the quantitative and qualitative features of the connected car today and in the coming years:
- Remote control
- Driving behavior
- Security
- Maintenance and diagnostics
- Infotainment and navigation
- Connectivity
- E-commerce
- Smartphone integration
- Mobility as a service
- Volume and consistency
The maximum score for each criterion was 10, resulting in a total maximum score of 100. If some features within a criterion were offered but not all (as was the case in most situations) the offered features were weighed against those not offered, and partial credit was awarded.
Where there were different packages or tiers of connectivity offered as options, Machina Research evaluated the most complete offering. If that offering was not available for all models, that was considered in the volume and consistency score.
In several cases the study combines multiple marques under the same group umbrella. For instance, GM and Chevrolet have been combined into a single “GM” entry. Likewise, Chrysler is combined with Jeep and Dodge. This is simply because the groups are following consistent strategies, GM with OnStar and Chrysler with Uconnect, across the footprint.
For more information, you can see the full Strategy Report, “OEM connected car scorecard”, here.
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