What are they connected to?

In Australia we recently celebrated nearly 100,000 vehicles being sold with DAB+ and it’s now available in 16 Australian vehicle brands.  It’s a nice achievement in a crowded space.

Others are also fighting for the dashboard.  Just a few short weeks back Pandora signed up Ford Australia; aiming to have the app installed in 60% of their vehicles sold here in 2015.

What does the future hold?

Is it about connecting with a radio signal – analogue or digital Or is it about a signal that delivers the world in the connected car?

In the US they recently released a research study; a survey of 5,985 people including the connected car, part of the Nielsen’s latest Music 360 report

The car wasn’t up on the blocks, it was the end user.

These were people aged 18 and over and who you could label as the connected generation. That is, they either use or are extremely, very, or somewhat interested in at least one of the three connected life technologies—connected home, car and/or wearable technology.

They delved in to find out about the appeal of connectivity in the car and what were some of the main drivers for appeal. Finding that 44% of people who are looking at purchasing a new set of wheels within the next two years, 39% are very likely to purchase a connected car with built-in features.

So it click’s why the Pandora’s and the like of the world want that space in the dashboard apps?

But what is driving it?

“It comes down to having what’s cool: 60% of future auto intenders say they’d like a connected car because they want to experience emerging technologies, 58% feel it will provide entertainment to passengers while on the road, and 43% say it will boost their productivity while they’re on the road.”, reported Nielsen’s Music 360 report

So who is the connected car user?

The majority were guys at 58%, with 42% aged 55+. They are also flush with cash, making more than 100K a year, with 62% armed with a degree.

So what about the rest?

Are they the ones who are already connected with their smartphones? The ones who already have everything they need in their pocket already.

Quite possibly the same ones who have already loaded up the Pandora, Spotify, rdio or omny apps on the very same devices they can plug into their car head unit now?

That’s the connected car right?

While it’s all based US data are there parallels here in Australia?

What gear is DAB+ stuck in and how does it cut through to stay in the game?