Connected-vehicle sector posts €4.15 billion in annual revenue in Catalonia

• In Catalonia, there are 71 companies with over 9,700 employees in this sector
• Estimates say 60% of vehicles in the world will be connected by 2025

According to data from a study compiled by ACCIÓ, the Government of Catalonia business competitiveness agency, in collaboration with Applus+ IDIADA, the connected-vehicle sector in Catalonia already posts revenue of roughly €4.15 billion and employs some 9,700 people. The study was made public as part of the latest Automobile Barcelona fair.

A total of 71 companies are currently operating in Catalonia in the connected-vehicle sector, which is considered to be fully consolidated, as 62% of the companies have over 10 years of experience. Of these, roughly 70% are SMEs, and half are also exporters. They are businesses that manufacture connected cars and motorbikes, that supply parts to digitise vehicles, that provide engineering services, that develop apps and sensors, and that manage telecommunications.

Furthermore, the study highlights that this sector of the automotive industry is of strategic importance, as 60% of the vehicles in the world will be connected by 2025, whether straight off the line or retrofitted. In fact, estimates say that global sales of connected vehicles will surpass 72 million units by 2023, which is an increase of 200% from the figures from 2015.

Today, the main application for automotive connectivity is road safety, through monitoring and navigation systems, for automatic emergency calls in case of an accident, or for diagnosing vehicle issues in real time. It is also being applied to road mobility with the help of GPS and devices to monitor energy consumption.

In the middle to long term, according to the ACCIÓ study, new solutions will be incorporated to integrate vehicles into the smart city concept, sharing information in real time with pedestrians, infrastructures and other drivers or regulating transit live through connectivity. In the future, connected vehicles are also expected to allow for new driving methods and more efficient transport options, advancing in the field of remote control and monitoring of drivers in the vehicles.

[07/16/2019]