The car is a smartphone on wheels

SEAT’s chief digital officer Fabian Simmer discussed the Spanish car-makers’ the trends in future mobility at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Complete connectivity: Nowadays we are permanently connected to our mobile phone. The trend is to develop new technologies so that users do not lose this connection when they are driving. In the future, the vehicle itself will be connected, allowing us to improve the customer experience and offer new functions and services. For example, they will enable drivers to access email and social media and continue driving in complete safety.

Protect the safety of the driver: There will be more specific apps that will be used inside the car in a safe manner. For example, calls can already be made without handling the phone by simply swiping a finger over the screen.

Sustainable mobility: Can you imagine never arriving late for work because your car will guide you there in time? In the future, vehicles will have predictive assistants that help the user efficiently choose the best commuting route to take based on, for example, traffic or weather conditions, which will lead to more sustainable mobility.

Parking: It is estimated that 25% of traffic in Europe’s city centres is due to drivers who are looking for a place to park. A future trend is apps that detect free spaces, and they aim to reduce time and fuel spent on parking.

Collaborative economy: Promoting the exchange of goods is one of the keys to the future. The trend in mobility will be car-sharing among several users, getting access with digital keys on their smartphone. Digital apps for this purpose will have increasingly greater impact.