On the threshold of the Mobile World Congress which opens next week in Barcelona, SEAT’s Chief Digital Officer Fabian Simmer gives some insight into the trends in future mobility:
- Complete connectivity: Nowadays we are permanently connected to our mobile phone. The trend is to develop new technologies so that users do not lose this connection when they are driving. In the future, the vehicle itself will be connected, allowing us to improve the customer experience and offer new functions and services. For example, they will enable drivers to access email and social media and continue driving in complete safety.
- Protect the safety of the driver: There will be more specific apps to be used inside the car in a safe manner. For example, calls can already be made without handling the phone by simply swiping a finger over the screen.
- Sustainable mobility: Can you imagine never arriving late for work because your car will guide you there in time? In the future, vehicles will have predictive assistants that help the user efficiently choose the best commuting route to take based on, for example, traffic or weather conditions, which will lead to more sustainable mobility.
- Parking: It is estimated that 25% of traffic in Europe’s city centres is due to drivers who are looking for a place to park. A future trend are apps that detect free spaces, and they aim to reduce time and fuel spent on parking.
Collaborative economy: Promoting the exchange of goods is one of the keys to the future. The trend in mobility will be carsharing among several users, getting access with digital keys on their smartphone. Digital apps for this purpose will have increasingly greater impact.
SEAT is the only company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets cars in Spain. A member of the Volkswagen Group, the multinational has its headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), exporting more than 80% of its vehicles, and is present in over 75 countries. In 2016, SEAT achieved worldwide sales of 410,200 units, the highest result since 2007.
SEAT Group employs more than 14,000 professionals at its three production centres – Barcelona, El Prat de Llobregat and Martorell, where it manufactures the highly successful Ibiza and Leon. Additionally, the company produces the Ateca and the Toledo in the Czech Republic, the Alhambra in Portugal and the Mii in Slovakia.
The multinational has a Technical Centre, which operates as a knowledge hub that brings together 1,000 engineers who are focussed on developing innovation for Spain’s largest industrial investor in R&D. SEAT already features the latest connectivity technology in its vehicle range and is currently engaged in the company’s global digitisation process to promote the mobility of the future.
