JULY - AUGUST 2019AUTOTECHOUTLOOK.COM9rapidly changing, thanks to new technology like blockchain applications. Blockchain is more than a trendy buzz word; it's a potential disruption of how we think about data integrity and accuracy. By leveraging a distributed network to instantly record information, this technology helps to ensure transactions are secure and protects data privacy, ownership, and integrity. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, 10% of global GDP will be stored on blockchains. Blockchain has a variety of potential uses in the automotive industry, including supply chain and logistics, mobility management, vehicle history, and compliance--and potential solutions are quickly gaining traction. Blockchain technology has the potential to provide countless benefits to the automotive industry and consumers alike, who will gain efficiencies, see cost reductions, safety improvements, data security, and the enablement of new processes and capabilities not even thought of yet.Many OEMs are early pioneers in this technology and are already using blockchain for vehicle and mileage tracking, maintenance ledgers, and to prevent odometer fraud in their leased-vehicle fleets. And more broadly, under the aegis of the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI), a consortium of industry leaders (including my company, KAR) are collaborating on the development of standardized, blockchain-enabled vehicle data and mobility services applications. "Will the Net Turn Car Dealers Into Dinosaurs?" ­ CATO Institute briefing paper from 2000Twenty years ago, pundits and futurists were wondering whether the technology would drive car dealers out of work. That future--if real--has been slow to arrive. Many dealers have adapted to changing technologies to operate their businesses more efficiently and successfully, taking a more data-driven approach for everything from how they market their cars to how they source new inventory.However, it's not just technologies that are driving change across the automotive industry. Evolving consumer attitudes and norms are also re-shaping the industry. Foremost among them: shifting ideas about what it means to buy, sell, and own a car. These shifts are challenging both dealers and OEMs to begin thinking and operating in the broader transportation industry rather than solely in the automotive realm.Which came first--new applications like car-sharing and ride-sharing, or new attitudes about car ownership? This is one chicken-and-egg scenario where it doesn't matter which came first. What matters is a new reality, and how we navigate a path forward.As larger fleets of shared vehicles become more prevalent, the power of the new connected car is more imminent. Successful business models will require timely and efficient vehicle maintenance--a programmatic approach to just-in-time oil changes, tire rotations, and other service tune-ups. Sending a mechanic out to track down individual vehicles lends itself to errors and inefficiencies.Solutions for fleet deployment and maintenance require a constant stream of information about the current health of the vehicle and its systems, so that predictive maintenance algorithms can recommend when a vehicle is due for service, and whether something deeper than a standard tune-up is needed to ensure optimum vehicle up-time and profitability of the vehicle. The rail and agriculture industries are great examples of trailblazers that are already using these new tools to monitor and service their heavy machinery and equipment systematically."Future cars will drive themselves" ­ print ad from 1957So, is the future now? There's no doubt that it's close--it's just a matter of how close and when. The information revolution is transforming the way people go about their daily lives, and in a significant part, the way they buy, sell and use transportation. At KAR, we have a growing team dedicated to assessing and leveraging new technologies. We're identifying, researching, and working directly with our customers and other partners to determine how new innovations and emerging technologies will result in solutions with the potential to transform the auto industry. KAR is in the unique position to utilize the strengths from across our business units to hit the ground running to turn those once pondered dreams into a reality.
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