Technology disruptions rocking the automotive industry

Each time James Bond comes back, he does it in style. He comes with high technology gadgets and, most importantly, with a new car. In 2015 it will be the first time that James Bond is going to drive a connected car.

Even though 007 might be way ahead of us in terms of his spying skills, when it comes to cars, we might not be that far behind him. The growing demand for wireless connectivity, demonstrated by the increasing number of smartphones and tablets, is driving the automotive industry to adjust to a new lifestyle consensus and incorporate in-vehicle Internet connectivity solutions. It’s safe to conclude that the automotive industry is facing several technology disruptions, which may completely redefine the entire industry in a matter of 5 to 10 years.

We will take a closer look at 3 major disruptions that may have the biggest impact on the automotive industry:

The electric car/Tesla
What is a Tesla car? Why and how did Tesla disrupt the automotive world and what makes this car special in its category of electronic vehicles? Ultimately, can Tesla replace your diesel/gasoline powered car for everyday use? Does Tesla as an idea even have a future given our stubbornly oil driven world? We will address these questions and have a look at the history of Tesla Motors, the technology behind its cars and experiences of Tesla owners. We will discuss the good, the bad and the scary side of Tesla cars. We will also compare the current Tesla Model S to its competitors in the luxury sedan segment and try to predict the future of electric cars in general.

The connected car
Cars are the most complex devices which will be massively connected into the Internet of Things. We will examine what this means for the automotive industry and for the end users.

The autonomous car
Autonomous cars are a very controversial topic that has been around for many decades. There are still significant disagreements about many aspects of this disruption. However, it is clear that the speed of change increased dramatically as technology companies start entering the race.

We will also discuss mobility as a service entering our local market and will showcase Tesla Model S car so you can have a closer look at it.

The discussions will be led by Marko Javornik,VP/GM Automotive at Comtrade, Matej Čer, founder and co-owner at Avant car, and Anja Cimerman, Software Engineer at Comtrade.

Marko Javornik
Marko has been actively involved in the digital transformation of different industries in West Europe and the US over the last 20 years. He possesses a deep understanding of the technology, business and human aspects associated with this transformation.

Matej Čer Matej is founder and co-owner of Avant car, one of Slovenia's leading companies for short- and long- term car rental and fleet management. He is an innovative and visionary entrepreneur who is always looking for new business opportunities.

Anja Cimerman
Anja is a part-time developer at Comtrade by day and a gadget enthusiast by night. She has an interest in mobile technologies, UI/UX design and cool new tech. In her free time, you'll find her tinkering with Android devices, digging through GitHub for bugs, scouring the web for the latest news in the world of electronics and bugging people to buy new gadgets so she can play with them to enrich their lives.