Why the meta manager matters for the connected car

1. Summary

The major transition happening for automobiles today is the internet’s ability to deliver a far more advanced driving experience. Vehicle drivers will move not only through physical reality but also through an illuminated internet: Specific points of interest most relevant to the driver will light up as the vehicle approaches them. An ever-shifting set of information will be prioritized for personal relevancy, timeliness, and proximity as the driver moves through space.

Current telematics efforts are technology-centric and target narrow niches: navigation, traffic, safety, entertainment, and so forth. By contrast, next-generation connected cars will be focused on the driver experience. Those niche applications will still play vital roles, but they will be subordinated to a new “meta manager” that will scan various car functions’ information, integrate it, and present the most relevant pieces when and where they are needed.

As the concept of a telematics meta manager catches on, we’ll see the following:

• Tomorrow’s vehicle ecosystem will know where drivers are, and it will guess what they want and what they are doing as well as make unsolicited and appreciated recommendations.
• Moving through an augmented reality will dominate moving through physical space in tomorrow’s vehicles long term.
• Multiple incompatible ecosystems will emerge. For example, ecosystems will exist in different geographic regions.
• The vendor that consistently provides the most relevant information will become the go-to platform.
• Many automotive manufacturers will become more like suppliers of components, producing a mechanical vehicle and not the higher-value ecosystem.

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