Next destination: software

Software will drive the transformation of the automotive industry

The transformation of the automotive industry is accelerating and software is firmly in the driver’s seat. From enhanced customer experience, new revenue generation, and reduced costs of operation to improved regulatory compliance, software is delivering significant benefits to the automotive OEMs. But just how big is this opportunity, what advantages does it bring, and how can OEMs tap into it? We wanted to find out.

For our Capgemini Research Institute report, Next Destination: Software – How automotive OEMs can harness the potential of software-driven transformation, we surveyed 572 global automotive executives and interviewed 17 automotive industry executives. All these executives were leading or closely involved in various software initiatives in their organizations.

We found that software-driven transformation is set to more than triple automotive OEMs’ software-based revenue in the next 10 years, growing from about 8% currently ($181 billion), to 22% ($640 billion) by 2031. A key driver of this new revenue will be OEMs’ share of new vehicles based on a unified/common software platform, which will reach 35% by 2031, up from nearly 7% currently (per OEM on average). However, most OEMs are just starting to transform and merely 15%, who have double the revenue and stronger ambitions, can be considered “frontrunners” in this domain. Frontrunners have a fundamentally different approach to transform themselves – they rely more on centralized units (67% vs. 35% for the rest), and spend a lot more (47% spending $1 billion+ vs. 28% of the rest who do so) in their software-driven transformation.

To join their ranks and harness the full potential of software-driven transformation, OEMs should build a software-focused vision and strategy, leverage software toolchains and the agile methodology to foster greater collaboration across organizational units, forge long-term, strategic partnerships with tier-1 suppliers and software providers on key software frontiers, strive for software excellence by building and retaining software talent, define a clear roadmap for next-generation and standardized vehicle software architecture, and tap into the power of data to more quickly enable intelligent vehicles, operations, and services.