A revolution in the automotive industry

Once thought of mainly as a tool for remote backup, the cloud is  transforming global business by providing computing power on demand, and that change is nowhere clearer than in the automotive industry. As a platform for big-data analytics—the ability to find meaning in the undifferentiated data stream from every moving part of the Internet of Things—the cloud has revolutionized everything from design, manufacturing, and supply-chain to dealerships, customer experience, and the future of connected cars…

In the dealership of the future, there may be three cars, or four, or none: Digital showrooms are already popping up around the world, with life-sized interactive displays that allow prospective customers to configure and “test-drive” every model, coming soon in virtual reality…

The ultimate promise of the connected car is still in the future, but the cloud-driven factory is here and now. In a business where information is everywhere all at once, product development can be global and highly responsive to customers’ desire for new features, whether digital or physical…

Cloud computing, data analytics, and ever more powerful connectivity have combined to work profound changes in the car, its uses, and its place in daily life. Precise analysis of car-performance data, drawn continuously from sensors on the engine, brakes, and other systems, will allow not for only predictive maintenance and remote fault detection but also for fast, responsive design fixes…

The cloud-based data exchange among automakers, parts suppliers, dealers, and drivers benefits all parties. But perhaps most important, it serves brand loyalty. The constant data exchange creates a connection between the owner and the brand that lasts throughout the car’s useful life—and when it comes time for the next purchase, the strength of that connection can be make-or-break. Cloud computing is a critical factor in cementing that customer bond…

Given the growth and increasing pace of customer demands, success in the car business today requires moving at the clock-speed of digital innovation. By providing advanced data analytics and virtually unlimited computing power on demand, the cloud makes that possible. So does the almost unprecedented intellectual merger of major automakers with giants of the digital world. To remain competitive, the most enlightened car companies are working hard to get ahead of the digital disruption, master the advances in technology, and adjust to the new, tech-based business models…