How Connected Vehicle Technology Can Move Automaker Brands beyond Vehicles

Automakers have a unique opportunity today to extend the benefits of emerging connected vehicle services beyond the vehicle and increase brand equity. August Lopez, vice president of Mobility Services for Agero, will focus on this topic at a keynote address next Wednesday at the annual Telematics Update conference in Novi, Michigan.

Agero is a global leader in driver assistance services, driver sciences and vehicle connectivity innovation. The company pioneered vehicle telematics and connectivity and has launched over a dozen different programs for global automobile manufacturers since 1996 in North America and Europe.

Lopez, who has led Agero’s mobile design and engineering teams in the development of human-machine interfaces for apps, websites and other mobile properties across a spectrum of devices, is now focused on potential avenues for expanding automotive brands beyond the vehicle to meet the demands of an increasingly personalized mobile society.

“It’s critical for electric vehicle owners to engage in pre-drive planning, and this has given us new insight into how to use mobile applications to better manage consumer mobility in general,” said Lopez. “Whether you consider electric vehicles a niche market or the vanguard for re-defining how consumers operate vehicles and relate to automotive brands in the future, we’re learning from experience how to build new consumer patterns through automotive consumer applications and top-class user experiences.”

Lopez observed that while many discussions at Telematics Update will highlight the integration of assorted varieties of cloud-based content from outside the vehicle, he wants to encourage the industry to envision the potential of new, multi-modal interfaces that engage drivers both inside and outside the vehicle.

“We want to make the vehicle an integral part of the driver’s digital ecosystem,” said Lopez.

Lopez’s Telematics Update keynote presentation is scheduled for 11:25 a.m., Wednesday, June 6, at the Showplace in Novi, Michigan.

About Agero
Agero is a leading provider of connected vehicle services for the automotive, insurance and aftermarket industries and is a market leader in roadside assistance and claims management. Based in Medford, Massachusetts, the company has operations throughout North America and offices for connected vehicle programs in Europe. For more information, visit www.agero.com.