Behind the seemingly cookie-cutter configuration and functions, the competition for smart cockpits is gradually escalating. This article will delve into the reasons behind the homogenization of intelligent cockpits, analyze the competitive nature of car companies in this field, and the “endgame” trend of the future intelligent cockpit market.
In the first half of April 2024, China’s retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles exceeded 50% for the first time, reaching 50.39%. This landmark event indicates that new energy vehicles have officially occupied a dominant position in China’s auto market, reflecting that the market’s acceptance of new energy vehicles is comparable to that of fuel vehicles with a century-old development history. By May this year, this penetration rate further climbed to 53.5%, setting a new record. New energy vehicles are gradually becoming the mainstream of the market and gradually becoming the core engine driving the sustained growth of the auto market.
Returning to daily car life and chatting with car friends and friends about new energy vehicles, everyone’s feelings are complex and real: devoted to intelligent configuration and extremely low cost of use; What I hate is travel endurance and charging anxiety, battery life and later maintenance costs. When talking about smart cockpits, many people often disagree, and even complain: the interiors of cars on the market now look the same, and there are only those things that are done and done.
I have read an article written by intelligent cockpit expert “Cyber No. 7” three years ago (March 25, 2022).”Talking about the Homogenization and Innovation of Intelligent Cockpits”。 The article broke the dilemma at that time: “When it comes to smart cockpits, I am not as excited as before, and I am even a little confused. It seems that the cockpit is just a few things, screen display, AI voice, AI vision, HUD…… It’s been played all over and it’s hard to come up with new tricks. Products began to be homogenized, and the pressure to innovate was huge. At major forums and press conferences, what everyone said was already similar, and the audience and the media were almost aesthetically tired. ”
The article mentions that the product trend of the smart cockpit is actually a “bright card” game, and based on this judgment, it deeply analyzes the starting point of cockpit experience innovation, and emphasizes the strategic perspective of landing is to be upright, and to be upright is surprising.
By 2025, the performance of cockpit products will indeed be stronger, and many novel features will appear. However, as a “bright brand” field, major car companies have finally aligned their configuration and experience, and the undercurrent of homogeneity is still surging. Spelling configuration and function, Spelling is based on differentiated “supremacy experience”. Today you are ahead, tomorrow I am ahead again……
What does a product manager need to do?
In the process of a product from scratch, it is not easy to do a good job in the role of product manager, in addition to the well-known writing requirements, writing requirements, writing requirements, there are many things to do. The product manager is not what you think, but will only ask you for trouble, make a request:
View details >
In other words, what is the essence of brand competition?In this situation, is there a real “endgame”?
01 Analysis of the reasons for “homogenization”
Why are cockpit products homogenized?
Supply chain maturity and technology diffusion
Cockpit products integrate complex hardware, software, data and algorithms, and each dimension strongly relies on the upstream and downstream supply chain systems, and car companies only do organic integration. Once an intelligent technology (such as: automotive-grade chip; High-quality screens or HUDs) have matured to achieve large-scale production and supply, and major car companies can relatively easily apply them to their own products, and the rapid spread of technology makes it difficult to maintain a leading edge for a long time.
Product definition and planning “clear brand + follow”
As Cyber Seven said:The product trend of smart cockpits is a clear brand.That is, technology trends and user needs are by no means a secret, through market research, competitive product analysis, and scene fragments, car companies can relatively clearly control the development direction of the industry, so that product definition and planning are easy to converge, and at the same time, the laggards firmly follow the forerunners, so it is difficult to form disruptive differentiated innovation.
Low cost, low risk and user perception shaping
The cockpit form with a large screen as the core has been highly modular. Relying on a mature supply chain system, OEMs often only need to apply or fine-tune solutions to quickly commercialize products, significantly reducing huge R&D costs and cycles (modeling, proofing, testing, etc.) from conceptual design to mass production.
More importantly, although the smart cockpit looks full of technology, its BOM cost is actually far lower than the level of everyone thinks. Low cost can create a “high-tech” perceived value, which is undoubtedly a very attractive path for automakers.
In addition, compared with the “standard” and “mental model” of new energy vehicle cockpits, which have been verified by the market and gradually become recognized by consumers, multi-screen interaction, comfortable seats, simple design, etc. have become mainstream features. Any bold innovation that deviates from these “consensus” means high trial and error costs and strong market uncertainty. Therefore, even at the expense of some differentiation and pioneering, OEMs should be more inclined to cater to the user’s mentality and conform to the “mainstream” to reduce the threshold of market acceptance and the risk of design failure. Over time, the industry has gradually formed a product atmosphere of “safety is better than risky innovation”.
The nature of competition
Various brands fight and kill, roll around, in the essence of what are you comparing?
First-mover advantage and rapid iteration capabilities
The core of competition lies in the “first-mover advantage”. Whoever can implement new technologies and new functions faster, keep up with changes in demand to make dynamic understanding, and continuously optimize product iterations, will be able to gain an advantage in the competition. In other words, I can quickly respond to user needs and technological innovation in the supply system, make products, and at the same time ensure low cost and good experience, which is very powerful!
Resource integration capabilities
Cockpit products integrate many technical fields and ecological partners, Cyber 7 mentioned: from a technical point of view, integrate vehicle-related technology and Internet technology; In terms of product form, it is necessary to integrate software products and hardware products; In terms of services, it is necessary to integrate local services and online services; From the perspective of R&D strategy, it is necessary to integrate the R&D advantages and self-research capabilities of upstream and downstream suppliers. Integration and implementation are subject to subjective and objective environment and resources. Therefore, whoever can break through the restrictions and constraints, better integrate internal and external resources, and implement products and services as quickly and economically as possible, will be able to occupy a favorable position in the competition.
Organizational ability and system efficiency
However, if you want to do the above two points, how easy is it? This requires efficient and close collaboration of the entire organization, including the construction of a strong R&D system, high-quality and efficient cross-departmental collaboration, accurate and fast user feedback response mechanism, excellent supply system integration capabilities, etc. Only strong organizational capabilities and system efficiency can ensure the final implementation of “user experience advantages”, which is the real competitive barrier of car companies. The top enterprise is to “play the organization card”, and the strong organizational structure is the money-making machine created by entrepreneurs, no matter how high the specifications of the target product are, this machine can perform high-precision manufacturing and production.
The “endgame” of infinite games
The so-called endgame is both “no endgame” and “endgame”.
The game between brands in the field of intelligent cockpits is never a decisive winner, but a process of continuous dynamic evolution: if you do well, others will quickly follow up – copying ideas, digging teams, and even reshaping your own organizational structure and supply system; Vice versa.
This is an infinite offensive and defensive game with no end.
The so-called “no end” means that there will be no monopoly situation. Although each has its own way of survival, the whole is wrapped up by the industry and the system to move forward, and whoever can’t catch up will fall behind.
A brand pattern of diversified coexistence
In the future, the competition in the field of intelligent cockpits will not move towards the “endgame” of a dominant company, but will evolve into a pattern of long-term coexistence of multiple brands and their own abilities. Different brands will occupy their own positions in the market based on their own differentiated positioning, target user groups and core competitiveness.
This is the same as the traditional fuel vehicle market – after time and market screening, a clear stratified pattern has finally been formed:
Vertically, first-line luxury, second-tier luxury, ordinary brands, etc. compete with each other;
Horizontally, the brand’s core value proposition is also diversified, such as focusing on luxury and comfort, sports control, technological future, safety and health, intelligent driving and cooling, family enjoyment and wisdom, etc., each forming a relatively stable and unique brand concept and mental cognition.
Continuous deep cultivation of market segments
The user’s self-perception, the role setting of the car to the user, the user’s expectations for the vehicle, and the definition of value are constantly evolving, and in the era of smart cars, the relationship between people and cars is more complex and diverse.
Brands need to occupy and dig deep into key attributes and value propositions, and based on this, make accurate product definitions, meet the dynamically changing car needs of target user groups, and continue to embrace and strongly integrate cutting-edge innovative technologies, rich and convenient cockpit ecological content and services. Continuously shattering the pain points of the user’s car use process, or bringing an excellent experience, MOT will establish a deep emotional connection between people and cars, establish a unique brand recognition and value identity in the hearts of users, realize true empathy between people and vehicles, and occupy the minds of users.
To sum up
The window period and freshness of the smart cockpit have passed, and the competition is gradually entering the deep waters. At this time, relying on troubled waters to fish and opportunist, it will only be random punches and bells and whistles, and in the eyes of masters, it is nothing more than a “flower rack” without confidence.
When the competition stretches to the timeline and examines it from a more lasting dimension, its essence becomes clearer and clearer: it is no longer “moves”, but internal “martial arts and mental methods”. Whoever has strong organizational capabilities and system efficiency can achieve efficient integration of vertical resources, quickly promote product landing, and occupy a first-mover advantage. It is also based on this that the so-called differentiated experience innovation and rapid iterative upgrading of products can be implemented and upheld, so as to achieve empathy between people and vehicles in every contact point and occupy the minds of users.
The “endgame” of the smart cockpit market is exactlyThere is no “endgame”.The trend of this “infinite offensive and defensive game” is destined to be a general situation of coexistence of multiple brands and continuous innovation and iteration under dynamic balance. The real challenge is not to finish the opponent, but to avoid being eliminated. Only by recognizing the essence of competition and constantly tempering one’s organizational ability can we stabilize our position and continue to move forward in this game without an end.
