Why do cars need Internet thinking?

Why do cars need Internet thinking?

The author of the car 2012, was equipped with an advanced car GPS navigation and built-in maps. Two years later, the original built-in map has expired, coincided with the introduction of a new version of the map, the author ran to 4S shop ready to upgrade. But the shopkeeper's words surprised the author: 1400 Yuan charge! I very do not understand is that, since the map is with the car configuration, then the use of software should also be included in the car price, with what software upgrades to pay? Whose software updates will be charged again? Too expensive? Want to download a new map installation yourself? No way, because the car GPS only recognize the brand made map. This is how carmakers think: Close, conservative, but want to squeeze every drop of profit from the product.

Finally, by means of a "well-known method", the author solves the problem of charge. However, the process of installing a new map is equally surprising. The capacity of both DVDs to be updated to the onboard system takes two hours, and the car must remain idle to maintain the power supply. The entire map was updated and the remaining fuel mileage was 35 km short.

The author reluctantly pulled out the mobile phone, inside the Baidu map, from the download installation to update the map package, a total of 10 minutes. And, it's all free.

With so much space to talk about personal experience, nothing more than to illustrate the car manufacturer's thinking and the current habits of people how much gap, especially when the car software and hardware increasingly connect with the Internet life today.

Tesla's Internet thinking: jumping out of the loop to design a new car

Tesla had no experience in making cars before roadster the first electric car. Of course, boss Musk is one of PayPal's founders and built spaceships. But in the automotive field, Musk is a white sheet. This also gives Musk and his Tesla almost limitless space in the design of vehicles to play his imaginative imagination.

Batteries are the source of energy for electric vehicles. In the case of a traditional carmaker, the battery will be installed as close to the inside of the vehicle as possible to provide as much protection as possible. Just like the gas tank of a petrol car. This has become the iron law in the minds of car designers. Even electric cars designed by traditional carmakers can embody this "iron law".

The universal range-type electric vehicle is a cubic shape, placed in the center of the chassis, as far as possible to reduce cross-sectional area, and the body shell to maintain a certain distance. Similarly, the Toyota Prius Battery pack is located in the rear seats and in the trunk. This approach is the result of more than 100 years of experience in the automotive industry, the maximum protection of the fuel tank.

But Tesla doesn't care. Model S's huge battery pack is flat, tiled on the chassis, almost occupying the entire chassis area. In fact, if you look at model S from the It circle, it's probably easier to understand how the battery is arranged--isn't it the huge battery board that runs through the back of the phone? Tesla's way out of the "rule" design has led to high performance beyond the industry's level: a battery capacity of up to 85-kilowatt, the mileage of more than 500 kilometers. In contrast, Volt's battery capacity is 16-kilowatt, even if it is a pure electric BMW i3, the battery capacity is only 22-kilowatt.

Marketing: Selling cars in the context of the Internet

In addition to the design, Tesla in marketing also reflects the full Internet "stylish". Opening the website of Tesla China, the paper describes the models specifications, describing such devices as "electric tilt and telescopic steering column", "manual release mechanism in vehicle, controlling all doors, trunk and rear cargo area". These sound sophisticated equipment, with the traditional car business terminology to describe the fact that the ordinary but not: "Steering wheel electric adjustment" and "car-controlled lock." Like the "headline party" that attracts clicks on various portals?

Tesla's Internet thinking is also reflected in the sales model. Online booking car, order production, line by number, offline lift car. Through the online experience shop to provide a good car experience, which is learned from Apple's tricks, and similar direct sales model has been widely used by Internet handset manufacturers such as millet and hammer. As a car manufacturer, Tesla's sales model bypasses the dealership, realizing direct sales from the manufacturer to the customer. In the dominant U.S. dealership, traditional carmakers were not daring to try such a thing, but Tesla remained unchanged. Despite some resistance from dealers, even in some U.S. states have been blocked, but this direct selling way to cut off the links, more close to consumers.

Who knows more about cars?

As the pioneer of making cars with Internet thinking, Tesla did succeed. But it has to be pointed out that Tesla is not perfect, Musk is not omnipotent. Tesla, who lacks experience in making cars, does not fully understand the full requirements of a good car, for example, in the vehicle's functional configuration, despite the super-dazzle in the console large screen, but Model S lacks a luxury sedan should have the basic configuration, such as reversing radar, adaptive cruise, and even more than million top Model S P85, folding rearview mirror incredibly still have to hand to break. Like a huge battery pack, this is unthinkable for traditional carmakers.

Fortunately, Tesla has the openness and flexibility of internet companies. It was not long before Tesla launched Model S's upgraded D series, and it was clear that Tesla had recognized the problem and had self-correcting.

According to the traditional model positioning, the D-series three models are equivalent to Model S of the high distribution version. In addition to the changes in the engine configuration, Tesla also added a camera and other sensors for the four drive Model S, which is used to detect the distance of the surrounding vehicles, such as lane control, active emergency braking and automatic parking.

As a selling price of the Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi high-end models, Model S before the lack of such configuration has been criticized, even the highest price of P85 is not equipped with reversing radar, lane maintenance, active braking and other high-end features are also missing. With the advent of the D series, Model S is truly a luxury car.

Internet car brain does not start

Tesla's success and twists and turns, let Internet enterprises, especially China's internet companies see a New world. So Baidu, Ali, music and other domestic internet giants have announced the march into the automotive industry, for a time, China's Internet vehicles surging tide, the Americans "pat on the beach," the trend.

July, Alibaba Group and SAIC signed the "Internet Car" strategic cooperation Agreement in Shanghai, the two sides to the "internet car" and related application services in the field of cooperation, will jointly build a future-oriented "internet car" and its ecological circle. Baidu and BMW signed a formal agreement in September to jointly develop the on-board interconnection system. And not long ago, BAIC chairman Xu signal to the outside world to release signals to another Internet Enterprise video network "OEM Production music video car", it is reported that Baic chairman and Le Vision CEO Jia Yue Pavilion met in the United States, negotiated the two sides cooperation matters. There have even been rumors that BYD will produce millet for the millet foundry.

This kind of momentum, I am afraid that the Internet companies in the United States are difficult to reach. Even Google, the world's number one internet company, has only dabbled in the development of self-driving technology and has no attempt to make a car. The It circle is now the most popular Apple, in the automotive field of the offensive is limited to car play, focusing on vehicle system development.

From the car system to the internet car "eco-circle" to the foundry to produce cars, Chinese internet companies in different depths into the automotive industry. Whether robust such as Baidu Ali or radical as the music of millet, from Tesla, the Chinese Internet enterprises to learn is to find the existing car production enterprises to cooperate, integration into their own design concepts for research and development and production. On the one hand, the Internet enterprises with less upfront investment in the fastest production of their products, on the other hand can devote more time to cutting-edge technology research and design, and this is the real use of Internet thinking.