Trends and developments relating to in-car technology indicate that the fully connected car could be with us sooner than you think.

First, the connected car is actually here now. Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Honda already offer basic connected car systems that allow a vehicle to hook up to the web through mobile phone networks.

GM provides connectivity to select models, and its new app, called TuneIn, will allow drivers to stream more than 70,000 radio stations to their cars.

Second, consumers are driving the demand for fully connected cars. An upcoming report from Gartner ICT will show that 47% of drivers want to be able to access wireless apps in their future vehicles.

Gartner further predicts that by 2016, connected vehicles will be a common desire for consumers and that the demand will continue on an upward trend and may even become parallel to the level for connected personal electronics.

Meet the connected car of the future: INFOGRAPHIC

Third, the race is on to deliver the connected car of the future … where the smartphone integrates with the user interface of the car. Every major automaker has entered the intelligent vehicle market. Automakers now view vehicles as mobile entertainment platforms that create residual revenue streams.

GM has demoed what it will look like to have its new 4G LTE dashboard – with apps, apps, apps – in your car.

Fourth, cars without connectivity will be a rarity rather than the other way around. According to ABI Research, 80% of cars in North America will be connected to the web by 2017. Here’s the thinking. New vehicles today have NO barriers to connectedness. Those built within the last 3-4 years can be connected via mobile device. Any vehicle older than that will be retro-fit for internet connection.

The Livio Radio car kit uses FM frequencies and the car stereo to bypass terrestrial FM programming in place of whatever you’ve got on your mobile device.

So here’s what I see from these developments:

There are factors (government regulation) that could slow things down for the fully connected car. There are also factors (fast technology deployment) that could speed things up. But NOBODY says anymore, “It won’t happen” with a straight face.

That leave us with this: The always-connected car is finally coming true.

Following that recognition, two questions come to mind for everybody using media for the gospel:

1) Have you assessed the potential future impact on your strategy… 

When cars are equal parts transportation and entertainment/technology platforms. When the CD player is gone (2013 models). When the AM/FM receiver no longer owns the entire real estate on the dashboard.

When connecting to top website and content sources using hands free voice activated controls … initiating a video conference … and utilizing apps to control your car itself are standard features.

2) What are you doing to strategically prepare for impacts like that?

Vehicle manufacturers are preparing for the reality that today’s 10-year-olds will probably demand seamless connectivity between their computers and their cars by the time they’re old enough to purchase an automobile. It might also help you to know that automakers envision completely separate strategies for driver and passenger (safety in the front, movie theatre in the back).

There is no end to what can be consumed in a car on these new advanced technology systems. Creating a place for the gospel in the new frontier of mobile connected computing will require merging into the fast lane. If you’re ready, merge now and don’t look back.

(Photo by GEElab)