Automakers Won’t Share Data Tech Partners Like Apple

In the golden age of technology that we live in today, everyone wants to invade our space with the latest and greatest tech. This is true for your automobile as well. Automakers are partnering with companies like Apple, Google, and other big players to bring you the best of the best technology in your vehicle, making driving your car, truck, or SUV a true driving experience that is both user friendly, and fun.

Automakers know that some of their tech partners can seem a bit intrusive. When you use Google Maps or Apple’s Maps, they receive that data and can predict your driving patterns. They collect data on you and your driving habits. Car makers do not plan to share in car data with their tech partners. Car makers are very tight with data, as they know data is king and the king has the gold so to speak.

Apple and Google built their in-car infotainment systems CarPlay and Android Auto and had planned to use that data for more commercial reach, but automakers have decided that they will keep that data to themselves. So what exactly did automakers decline to let their partners have access to? They won’t allow them to learn what drivers do in their cars as far as steering ability, braking and acceleration systems.

Data is a revenue generation giant. And automotive manufacturers know this. For instance, General Motors released that they will generate $350 million in revenue from high speed data connections that have been imbedded in their cars by the end of 2018. One firm estimated that by the end of 2018, infotainment systems could generate $40 billion globally.

Automakers are not willing to share their data not only because of the revenue, but because they don’t want their partners to figure out a viable business model that may bankrupt them. Automakers have also toyed with the idea of monetizing the data and selling it to insurance companies to make a quick buck or a billion.