The Warring States Period of Intelligent Vehicle Systems: Conflicts and Breakthroughs

A smart phone is a "palmtop computer + mobile phone". In addition to having all the functions of an ordinary mobile phone, it also realizes the basic functions of a computer. All this is inseparable from the emergence of mobile phone operating systems. From the situation of "hundreds of mobile phone systems" such as Google Android, Apple iOS, Microsoft Windows Phone, Nokia Symbian, BlackBerry BlackBerr OS, etc., to now only Android and iOS lead the era of mobile phone intelligence.

At present, with the upgrading of the automobile industry, the trend of the smart automobile industry has been formed. Among them, the smart vehicle system, which is different from the traditional in-vehicle infotainment system (IVI), has become the "hot cake" pursued by major automobile companies and Internet companies.

　　Internet companies rush to seize the market share of in-vehicle systems

　　Among foreign Internet companies, Apple has always had a special liking for cars, and the outside world also hopes that Apple can create an epoch-making "Apple Car" like the Apple 4S mobile phone. However, in 2013, Apple announced its entry into the automotive industry. The first thing it created was a car system that can be connected to a mobile phone - CarPlay. The launch of Apple CarPlay sent a very strong signal to other companies in the technology field that they must compete for the smart car system market. Currently, Apple CarPlay already supports more than 500 models of 62 car companies around the world.

　　Faced with the blue ocean market of car systems, Google, as the dominant player in the mobile open source system market, will naturally not let go of this "fat piece of meat". At the 2014 I/O conference, Google launched Android Auto, the first Android application and service for car platforms. As of 2018, Android Auto supports more than 500 models from more than 50 car manufacturers. From functional applications to supported models, Apple and Google are on par.

　　The technical advantage of CarPlay and Android Auto is that they have accumulated a huge user base in the mobile phone era. Google and Apple are trying to bring this advantage into the automotive scene. At this time, cars are no longer just a means of transportation. The "cold iron machine" has begun to become "warm" and intelligent, so the "BAT" on the other side of the Pacific Ocean has also launched a head-on "confrontation" in the field of in-vehicle systems.

　　Among them, Alibaba's AliOS is currently expanding in the market at a relatively fast pace. After upgrading the YunOS smart device operating system to AliOS, Alibaba has set its sights on the field of smart car systems. AliOS is more like a basic development platform. For example, the system equipped in Dongfeng Citroen SUV Cunyi is the Zebra Intelligent Driving System based on AliOS. Unlike Alibaba's bottom-level architecture positioning, Baidu CarLife and Tencent AI in Car are more focused on upper-level lightweight applications. The car-machine and mobile phone mapping functions are both selling points of the two companies' systems. However, there is also differentiated competition between the two. The openness of Baidu CarLife has made its ecosystem more extensive, and Tencent AI in Car's in-car social networking is more attractive to young people.

　　For the three giants of BAT, the in-vehicle system itself can also directly open up the entrance to their respective service ecosystems. It is particularly important for Internet companies to focus on in-vehicle systems and attract more traditional car companies to join their own ecosystems. On the other hand, the Internet itself needs to do enough homework and understand the logic of automobiles. It also needs to increase the training of automotive engineering talents and the accumulation of user portraits to improve the functional experience of in-vehicle systems.

　　Car companies are unwilling to become "hardware providers"

　　In the "battlefield" of in-vehicle systems, car companies often only have the right to choose, but lack the dominance of technology. As the nerves of traditional car companies are provoked to change, car companies are also beginning to lead the technology of in-vehicle systems, either self-developed or jointly developed with auto parts manufacturers and Internet companies. In the luxury car team, self-developed in-vehicle systems have become a trend, such as BMW's idrive, Mercedes-Benz's COMAND, Audi's MMI, etc. These car companies no longer rely on Tier 1 technology product output, and their self-developed systems have been applied to their own mass-produced models.

　　In addition to pioneering the era of large central control screens, Tesla's in-vehicle system can be listed as a template for today's smart in-vehicle systems. Through continuous upgrades, the intelligent functions of Tesla's in-vehicle systems are becoming more and more "human". In the new Version 9 software video of Tesla Model 3, the vehicle can sense bicycles in the surrounding area and filter them out from various vehicles.

　　In contrast to the self-developed products of foreign car companies, domestic independent brands have all chosen to jointly develop with Internet companies. In 2015, Changan, China Unicom and Yuante Technology jointly launched the in-Call3.0 system. After the in-Call system was installed, the Changan Ruipin CC, Yidong and other models instantly raised their style. Unfortunately, although the Changan in-Call system appeared earlier than the Zebra system jointly developed by SAIC Roewe and Alibaba, it is not as famous as the Zebra system. In addition to Zebra being an independent in-vehicle system service provider and investing in market brand promotion, the in-vehicle system with Alibaba attributes will naturally integrate "Ali services" in application, which has advantages at the application level.

　　Whether it is a luxury car company or a domestic independent brand, in addition to transforming the car into an upgraded smart connected car to boost market sales, upgrading the car to become a smart hardware is a trend. Car companies are reluctant to classify themselves as "hardware providers". Only by becoming the "Apple" in the automotive industry can they have a say in the industry in the future.

　　How to build hard-core competitiveness in vehicle systems

　　A good smart car system should realize the integration and interconnection of "car and everything" such as car and people, car and car, car and traffic facilities, car and network. It is important that the owner should "abandon" the mobile phone after getting in the car and let the car system "take over" all the services you provide while driving. Unfortunately, not all car models are equipped with car systems that allow people to completely get rid of their dependence on mobile phones. "The expensive car system is no match for a ten-yuan mobile phone holder", which is worth reflecting on by car people.

　　In addition, as the functions of the in-vehicle system are increasing, the screens of the in-vehicle system are getting bigger and bigger, but there are very few functions that can really match the "huge screen". From the perspective of UI interface and high-definition display, the large screen does make the in-vehicle system have a sense of technology, but at the same time, the "humanization" of the in-vehicle system is gradually lost. In the eyes of many car owners, the "gimmick" is more important. When BMW launched the iDrive system on the new 7 Series earlier, it attracted everyone's complaints because of its relatively complicated operation. In the new 5 Series launched later, BMW's iDrive system has been greatly simplified, which also makes the advantages of the iDrive system fully play out.

　　"Cool and fashionable" can be a plus, but it is by no means the only selling point. The smoothness and stability of the in-vehicle system are the "hardcore" requirements. Just like when consumers buy smartphones, the first thing they consider is whether to buy an Android phone or an Apple phone, because users have extremely high requirements for the experience of mobile phone system performance. This is also the main reason why Apple can sell at a high price, while Xiaomi and Huawei can only enter the mid-to-low-end market.

　　When buying a car today, consumers will also face the same choice problem. In the past, when fuel vehicles or new energy vehicles had the same performance, consumers considered more about the cost-effectiveness, brand, performance and other objective factors. When the car is upgraded to a smart car, the in-vehicle system will be one of the key factors to consider. The system can make mobile phones form two major camps of Apple phones and Android phones, and Apple has separated itself from most Android brand phones on the market with the smoothness and stability of the system. The in-vehicle system will also be the same. It can make a car model a "hot item" in the market, but it can also "drag down" a car.

　　As the direct entrance to car life applications, the in-vehicle system will inevitably lead to "a hundred schools of thought", and it is still unclear who will break through. First, the self-built in-vehicle system of car companies will lead to the closure of the system, consumers will have more choices, and the market will become "mixed"; secondly, Internet companies rush into the market, bringing more application experience, while data security becomes the key; finally, technical barriers have become the key to the development of in-vehicle systems. Taking communications as an example, the current 4G network cannot drive high-traffic automotive applications, and in-vehicle applications are currently in the concept stage. The industry explosion urgently needs technological breakthroughs.