Fighting for the brand: the HMI battle between OEMs and consumer electronics

A brand is something that provides an experience and a quality promise, and in the automotive world, a brand is not something taken lightly. OEMs have spent much time over the years defining their brand from others, but recently, the influx of the consumer electronics influence on the automotive domain has compromised many brands previously recognisable brand images.

Recently, Apple, Microsoft and Google have entered the in-car space and are all targeting the car as the next frontier for mobile development. But many argue it is important for automotive brands to keep their image intact, and this was the position taken by key industry stakeholders in the connected car stream of the Automotive Megatrends Europe 2014 conference held in Brussels on 11 September.