While Internet companies such as LeEco, Baidu, and Google have tried out autonomous driving technology to speed up the layout of the smart car field, auto parts giants including Bosch, Continental, Delphi, etc. have also begun to expand in this field.

 

Recently, Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yanfeng Automotive Interiors), one of the world's largest automotive interior suppliers, exhibited the 2016 innovative display concept car-ID 16 at its Shanghai headquarters. It is understood that ID16 mainly focuses on "Chinese high-end consumer market", "urban SUV" and "autonomous driving", which are the key layout areas of these three major industries.

 

Luo Yonghan, CEO of Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, told the "Daily Economic News" reporter that it will take time for autonomous driving to be truly commercialized, but this trend is accelerating in the smart car industry. In this context, traditional parts companies have also begun to accelerate their pace, hoping to seize the commanding heights of technology through a forward-looking layout.

 

From this point of view, at a time when the automotive industry is facing huge changes, and in the face of the smart car industry, a market of over one trillion yuan, the technical competition between OEMs, parts suppliers, and Internet companies has begun.

 

Parts giant accelerates layout

 

"The development trend of autonomous driving and intelligent interconnection is very rapid. In the future, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors will accelerate the research and development of forward-looking technology areas such as intelligent trims and other automotive interiors." Luo Yonghan told the "Daily Economic News" reporter as a focused For interior parts companies, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors also has a profound insight into the changes in the hot spot of the auto market. "We will build on the existing automotive trim technology, by implanting touch and feedback, adaptive, new display and other diversification. Technology, to achieve the perfect integration of automobile trims and electronic devices, has become an important carrier for the interaction of people-vehicles-networks."

 

In the context of the Internet giant's aggressive march into the automotive industry, the traditional parts giants have not been outdone, and have accelerated their layout in the field of car networking and smart cars.

 

Bosch, which focuses on R&D of automotive technology on electrification, automation and interconnection, has conducted autonomous driving technology road tests on the highway as early as 2013, and related driving assistance systems have been mass-produced in 2014. Bosch has stated that in order to fully enter the market, Bosch has mastered the core technology and system integration necessary for autonomous driving.

 

In March last year, Delphi, one of the world's largest manufacturers of automotive wiring harness systems, also launched an autonomous driving journey across the east and west coasts of the United States. It is worth noting that in order to further promote active safety and autonomous driving technology, last year, Delphi also generously acquired a cable harness management solution provider called Hellman Pacific, and software company Ottomatika, and strategically invested in two Automotive software technology companies, namely Quanergy and Tule Technology.

 

Continental's manufacturer in the German transportation industry also promoted its technology through "buy, buy, buy". Last year, Continental Group acquired a Finnish software company, Elektrobit Automotive, for a price of 600 million euros, further strengthening its autonomous driving technology research and development capabilities. Previously, Continental also acquired the automotive division of Siemens VDO and the automotive electronics division of Motorola.

 

 "Steering wheel" competition is becoming fiercer

 

While Internet companies are accelerating the deployment of technologies such as Internet of Vehicles and driverless vehicles, domestic and foreign OEMs have also begun to vigorously expand this field.

 

At this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), OEMs such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota and others have all demonstrated their smart interconnected technologies by releasing concept cars. BMW exhibited the i8 Spyder concept sports car equipped with the latest human-machine interaction technology; Mercedes-Benz exhibited two self-driving cars, E200 and E300. According to Mercedes-Benz, the two cars will be available in the next two years at the fastest; Started, claiming that it will reduce the accuracy of the maps it draws to 5 centimeters, thereby surpassing Google maps.

 

At the same time, in China, more than a dozen automakers such as BAIC, GAC, SAIC, Changan, and BYD also said that they have invested heavily in the field of self-driving cars and IoV technology to conduct cutting-edge technology research and development. Take Changan as an example. In the next five years, Changan will spend 4 billion yuan on research and development of forward-looking technologies such as unmanned driving. In April of this year, driverless cars modified by Changan Ruicheng will drive from Chongqing to Beijing for the auto show.

 

In this regard, some analysts in the industry believe that with the intensification of automotive intelligence and the auto parts giants, Internet companies, and vehicle companies all arranging in this field, this "steering wheel" battle will become increasingly fierce, and who is the first Occupying the commanding heights in this battle, whoever is likely to dominate the future auto industry development initiative.