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www.automobil.co.za
February 2023
news
t’s now widely recognised that software holds
the key to building brand loyalty and product
differentiation in an electrified world where
vehicles are increasingly built from commodity
components.
In a fascinating presentation, Agustin Alman-
si, VNC Automotive’s Sales Engineering Director,
outlined how the industry is changing, the chal-
lenges that are still to be resolved, and offers in-
sight into how open software and standards can
help automotive manufacturers.
In the past, car makers distinguished them-
selves through their hardware, whether that was
the performance of their engines, the design of
the body, or even their careful selection of ma-
terials. But with the development of fully electric
vehicles, key components such as motors and
batteries have become commoditised, reducing
opportunities for manufacturers to differentiate
their offerings while simultaneously levelling the
playing field and removing barriers to entry for
new competitors.
Established automotive players have had to
quickly ramp-up their own in-house develop-
ment capability, while also pivoting away from
the largely low-level software of the past to a
more connected ecosystem that draws inspira-
tion from smartphones and the gaming industry.
“Younger generations are now basing their
buying decisions not just on a car’s physical at-
tributes, but also on how easy it is to connect
their smartphone, whether it allows them to use
their Apple Music account, and so on. As a re-
sult, vehicle OEMs are now more focused on the
functionality of the user experience, and that’s
forced them to start using software to differenti-
ate themselves from their competitors,” outlined
Almansi.
Almansi explains how much of this work
has been built on open-source software and
open standards, aiding interoperability and
supporting its adoption. In a world where cus-
tomers are more demanding than ever before,
increasingly expecting features such as remote
preconditioning and regular over-the-air up-
dates, crafting an intuitive user experience
with smooth graphical interfaces has become
paramount.
The presentation also looks to the future, and
how subscription services can offer flexibility
to the customer while also motivating OEMs to
ensure paid-for features are kept up to date and
constantly improved after launch.
The Evolving Software Landscape in Auto-
motive and How Open Source Can Foster Con-
tinuous Innovation presentation is available to
watch here.
Software the new differentiator
uro NCAP has announced the winners from
2022, the safety organisation’s busiest-ever
year. These are the cars that achieved the
highest overall scores, based on their results for
Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Pro-
tection, Vulnerable User Protection and Safety
Assist technologies. For the very first time, this
list includes two cars from Tesla and two Chinese
newcomers to the European market. These re-
sults underline the importance of the Euro NCAP
five-star rating for establishing safety, credibility,
and quality in the European market for vehicle
manufacturers in Europe, but also beyond Eu-
rope’s borders.
The Hyundai IONIQ 6 wins the best-in-
class award in the Large Family Car category,
the ORA Funky Cat in the Small Family Car
Category, Tesla Model S in the Executive
Car category, Tesla Model Y in the Small
Off-Roader category and finally WEY Cof-
fee 01 in the Large Off-Roader category.
2022 was notable for the number of
new Chinese brands coming to Europe
and achieving great results. Following
some less-than-successful attempts to
break into the European market in the
past, several manufacturers are showing
that Chinese brands can now compete
on safety with well-established European
brands.
Tesla has made a huge impact on the
European car market due to its design and
ethos. The company has also been deter-
mined to make a name for its brand in safe-
ty performance. Tesla Model S and Tesla
Model Y are both high achievers in Adult
Occupant Protection and both vehicles
achieved the highest score of 98% in
Safety Assist of all the vehicles in this
list. Tesla Model S is also the best-in-class
achiever in the Pure Electric category.
“2022 has been one of Euro NCAP’s
busiest years yet and we have seen a lot of
new car makers and new technologies. A good
Euro NCAP rating is seen by car manufacturers as
critical to success in Europe. This can only mean
better safety equipment and safer cars for Euro-
pean consumers all round,” Michiel van Ratingen,
Euro NCAP’s Secretary General.
Euro NCAP announces 2022 winners
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