The rise of the 5G road and what it means for automotive brands 

Transforming the way we and our cars interact with each other 

“Autonomous vehicles are just around the corner” – how often do we hear that? The reality is that they're already here: today the tech residing in your run-of-the-mill premium car is more than capable of reaching level 3 autonomy, including manoeuvres, acceleration and deceleration. But to bring cars to level 4 autonomy – what many consider to be truly driverless – people often forget that it will take more than a car upgrade. A truly autonomous world will rely just as much on the tarmac below, as it does on the car above.

The destination of the 5G road

Soon, the 5G road will enable greater reliability, communality, and transparency – transforming the way both we and our cars interact with each other. The rollout of 5G will offer vehicles enough confidence that connections won’t drop, and latency won’t be an issue as they communicate with each other.

The car will be able to speak to the cars in front, behind and to the side of it, in real time, and with assured connections. The road will be able to speak to the blocked junction one mile ahead; and the service station 10 miles from a broken-down car will know about the problem well before the driver has had to call for assistance. 5G will therefore enhance communication networks, creating a safer and more functional and transparent transportation.

Drivers become users

As trust grows between people and autonomous vehicles (bolstered from the developing reliance and trust in 5G), we will see a dramatic shift in how we use cars. Driving and drivers will become obsolete, creating a new industry around mobility as a service.

Imagine you head onto a 5G stretch of motorway. Today, you’d be faced with a lengthy two-hour monotonous journey in front of you. Not so in the future: your car swiftly sends you a push notification to alert you that you're now on a 5G road and autonomous driving can be enabled. You now have two hours of free time, in a relaxing, quiet and safe environment. What do you do? Watch a film? Do some work? The car is now your oyster.

But what does this mean for car brands? Most notably, the standardised car layout (two in the front, three squished in the back) will be disrupted. Cars will be designed around lifestyles and experiences, rather than A to B transportation methods. Modular designs could see interiors change from an entertainment hub to a zen space for relaxation with a simple flick of a switch. In short, cars will become hyper relevant to people’s needs. Just take a look at the models and features announced at CES 2019 to see how this journey experience is evolving. 5G roads and intelligent infrastructure will help bring these innovations to life.

Identifying opportunities for automotive brands

If cars are designed around the experience within them, then it follows that a single-use car experience might seem redundant. Instead, rental companies are already taking advantage of these changing demands and shifting their business models to meet them: Lyft and Waymo are looking into ways they can provide purpose-specific autonomous cars from a fleet, rather than simply offering riders generic, less-specialised versions. It will only be a matter of time before they shape the business model further to thrive under the scale and opportunity 5G roads will offer.

Both car brands and the manufacturers of vehicle equipment (OEMs – original equipment manufacturers) will be wise to understand that customers won’t want to exclusively own one car in the future. Rather, customers will choose from a variety of models and services to suit their specific need at that time. The subscription model is being trialled by several players; Mercedes-Benz Collection, BMW Access and Porsche Passport all offer customers the opportunity to change their car weekly. However, these subscriptions must now start taking into consideration not only the model of the car they offer, but the services inside each car and how the implementation of 5G roads can optimise this offering beyond initial expectations.

We don’t have the 5G road yet – but brands should be ready to embrace the unprecedented benefits it can bring to the future automotive experience.