JLR invests millions to make entire fleet connected

Mike Bell was appointed to the newly created position of global connected car director at Jaguar Land Rover in 2012 when interest was just starting to develop in the sector. Times have changed fast. Bell says Jaguar Land Rover aims to have all its new vehicles connected by the end of this year. He recently spoke with Automotive News Europe Correspondent Olive Keogh.

How long has Jaguar Land Rover been working on connected car technology?

About five years ago we started looking at levels of customer interest -- which were quite low at the time -- but we could see there was a demand coming. We set up a dedicated unit in 2012. The level of interest has really risen in the last couple of years in terms of the questions being asked in dealerships.

How will JLR roll out the technology?

Our aim is to have 100 percent of our vehicles connected by year-end. Every vehicle now being manufactured in the UK is connected so we have built-in telematics in all of our vehicles. It is an “opt in” technology so if you don’t want to use it you don’t have to. We expect the vast majority of our customers to take it up and to benefit from safety and security features. For example, emergency call (private in our case at the moment) and roadside assistance, where data is passed from the vehicle to the assistance provider to enable them to optimize the recovery.

Is it fair to say JLR is investing millions or even 100s of millions in this?

Over the last five years we have invested 10 billion pounds globally and more than 3 billion pounds in this financial year in product creation. Connected car is a key part of our product creation and one of our priority areas. We’re including connected car as standard on our vehicles so there is significant investment both in the actual development process and what we’re putting into our vehicles.

What are the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenges are related to connectivity and the availability of high-speed data. Mobile networks tend to be centered on population centers rather than roads and different countries have different levels of coverage. Europe has sufficient coverage to deliver basic telematics services, but I think we’re some way off from delivering a consistent experience for full streaming multimedia.

What is needed to make these systems work?

Good mobile connectivity on roads. For telematics you need 2G and above. For infotainment services, you need 3G and above.

How is the move toward connected cars changing the industry?

There is a particular focus on having connectivity around the driver. The question is whether that’s built in or brought in. Built in would use a telematics unit. Brought in is through smartphone integration, such as we have with our InControl Apps.

Consortiums are being formed. Who is Jaguar Land Rover working with?

Jaguar Land Rover is part of a number of groups including Genivi, Automotive Grade Linux and W3C Automotive. Genivi is defining standards in entertainment for connected cars while W3C Automotive sets standards around web technologies. With automotive, the consortia tend to be local rather than global. We also work with the major technology providers.

Are all of the company’s customers interested in connectivity or only the younger ones?

It’s not that black and white. A Jaguar XJ or a Range Rover customer who is still working is likely to be at a senior level within an organization, they are often early adopters when it comes to technology. We have some people who say this is not for me, but generally it’s a minority. Clearly there is more traction with younger people, but I don’t see it as black and white in terms of age.

What features are people finding the most helpful?

That depends on the market. Up-to-date maps and traffic data are features most in demand.

How would you describe the overall feedback you have been getting?

Very positive from the majority of users. I think some people are amazed that you can do all this in a car. InControl Apps have been a surprise and a delight for many customers who were frustrated that they couldn’t use their apps while driving. The apps we support are driver-centric – no Angry Birds!