Revolutionizing the Automotive Industry: Salesforce’s Connected Car App

The automotive industry has always been a beacon of innovation, consistently pushing the boundaries to enhance the driving experience. From the iconic Model T and the assembly line to today’s electric and autonomous vehicles, the evolution of automobiles has been driven by an unyielding pursuit of progress.

I actually purchased a new-to-me car today, and with the connected vehicle on the horizon I’m kind of glad I’ll be able to upgrade in a couple years. Bluetooth and back up cameras are great. But a car that can tell the dealership to get me on the horn before some automotive calamity occurs? The future is here, my friends.

Connected Vehicles for Better Experiences

Now, as digital transformation reshapes industries, a new chapter is emerging in automotive innovation: the connected car. Leading this charge is Salesforce, a global powerhouse in customer relationship management (CRM), with the introduction of its groundbreaking Connected Car App, poised to redefine in-car experiences for both drivers and passengers.

From my personal buying experience today, the car business could use some customer relationship management!

The Future of In-Car Connectivity

Salesforce’s Connected Car App is more than just a technological enhancement; it represents a fundamental shift in how we interact with our vehicles. By leveraging Salesforce’s Customer 360 platform, this app creates personalized, engaging experiences that go far beyond traditional automotive features.

The Connected Car App is designed to make every journey more intuitive and efficient, offering real-time insights and services tailored to the unique needs of each driver. Whether it’s maintenance alerts, optimized route suggestions based on traffic, or personalized entertainment options, the app transforms the car into a truly smart companion on the road.

A GPS feature? I guess I can plan on deleting Waze off my phone in the near future!

Powered by Salesforce Customer 360

At the heart of the Connected Car App is Salesforce’s Customer 360 platform, which delivers a comprehensive, 360-degree view of each customer. This integration ensures that the app provides tailored experiences based on a deep understanding of the driver’s preferences, habits, and history.

It isn’t going to just know you by a vehicle loan number, a VIN number, or even just an email address.

For instance, a driver who frequently takes long road trips might receive customized recommendations for rest stops, dining options, and attractions along their route. Meanwhile, commuters could benefit from real-time updates on traffic, weather, and parking availability. The app’s ability to anticipate and respond to the driver’s needs in real time distinguishes it from traditional in-car systems.

I can just hear my car now, advising me it has been one hour since I stopped for coffee, and she’s worried about my sanity.

Enhancing Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction with Connected Vehicles

The Connected Car App offers significant potential to boost customer loyalty and satisfaction. By delivering a personalized driving experience, automakers can strengthen relationships with customers, transforming each driving journey into an opportunity to build brand loyalty.

If Toyota is suddenly going to treat me like Shannan Hearne instead of customer # xxxxx would be ecstatic.

Additionally, the app’s capability to collect and analyze data in real time opens new avenues for automakers to engage with their customers. Predictive maintenance reminders, targeted promotions, and special offers are just a few examples of how the app fosters a deeper connection between the brand and the driver.

Oh, yeah. My connected vehicle app is DEFINITELY going to be talking to me about changing my oil (I’m not exactly diligent), how great the latest model of Toyota is (I drove a Corolla for 18 years and have also owned a Tacoma, a Tundra, and a Prius), and if it would add coffee coupons I would be golden.

A New Era of Automotive Innovation

Salesforce’s Connected Car App marks a pivotal moment in the automotive industry’s digital transformation. As vehicles become increasingly connected, the opportunities for innovation are boundless. Salesforce is at the forefront with a solution that not only enhances the driving experience but also empowers automakers to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their customers.

In a world where customer expectations are constantly growing, the Connected Car App is a game-changer. Customers, even car owners, expect their brands to know them and recognize them. By integrating Salesforce’s CRM capabilities directly into vehicles, the app creates a seamless, personalized experience that stands out. As we look ahead, it’s clear that the Connected Car App is just the beginning of an exciting new era of automotive innovation.

As a marketer at heart and a technologist by trade, I’m really excited about the potential here.

Connected Vehicle: A Unified Digital Foundation

Salesforce’s Connected Vehicle platform provides automakers with a unified, intelligent digital foundation, enabling them to reduce development time and roll out features and updates faster than ever before. This platform allows seamless integration of vehicle, Internet of Things (IoT), driver, and retail data from various sources, including AWS IoT FleetWise and Snapdragon® Car-to-Cloud Connected Services Platform, to enhance driver experiences and ensure smooth vehicle operation.

Can you imagine a smart app like the Connected Vehicle talking to your loyalty apps for gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores? I would be driving down the interstate and the app will tell me there is a Starbucks ahead AND I have a 10% off coupon.

Automakers and mobility leaders like Sony Honda Mobility are already exploring the use of Connected Vehicle to deliver better experiences for their customers. The platform’s ability to access and integrate data from any source in near real time allows automakers to personalize driver experiences, in-car offers, and safety upgrades.

Why It Matters

By 2030, every new vehicle sold will be connected, and the advanced, tech-driven features they provide will be increasingly important to consumers. A recent Salesforce survey revealed that drivers already consider connected features to be nearly as important as a car’s brand. Connected Vehicle accelerates this evolution, enabling automakers to immediately deliver branded, customized experiences tailored to drivers’ needs and desires without the need for costly, time-consuming custom engineering.

Achyut Jajoo on the Future of Driving

“The car of the future will be as personalized and adaptable to the driver as our phones are today,” said Achyut Jajoo, SVP & GM of Manufacturing and Automotive at Salesforce. “Connected Vehicle will accelerate this evolution by enabling automakers to immediately provide drivers with a branded experience that is customized to what they need and desire when they need it most. And they can do it all without costly, time-consuming custom engineering.”

Jumpstarting the Future of Driving

Connected Vehicle helps automakers deliver customized driver experiences while reducing the time and effort required to build them. With a single console and ready-to-go features, automakers can:

• Monitor Vehicle Health and Performance: Vehicle Status Monitoring allows service teams to track key performance data, such as vehicle and engine condition and fuel status, enabling proactive driver alerts and automatic task creation for the next service appointment.
• Trigger Remote Actions: Remote Vehicle Actions enable service representatives to remotely control vehicle features, like door locks and temperature controls, during car service appointments or roadside events, helping drivers get back on the road faster.
• Act on Telematics Data in Real Time: The Actionable Telematics Framework helps automakers ingest, monitor, and act on comprehensive telematics data — including speed, fuel, and battery consumption — to proactively alert drivers about critical safety or service issues when it matters most.
• Display Critical Vehicle Information: Vehicle Data Visualization acts as a digital twin, providing a complete picture of all a vehicle’s connected parts, features, and services so sales, service, and retail representatives can make faster, more informed decisions to delight or protect their drivers.
• Enable Branded Offers: With add-on capabilities from Marketing Cloud, automakers can provide personalized in-car offers for driver services, entertainment apps, upgraded traffic alerts, route planning, or trials of new features like lane departure assist, based on navigation history, household information, and unused vehicle features.
• Power In-Vehicle Purchasing: With add-on capabilities from Commerce Cloud and Revenue Cloud, automakers can enable drivers to pay for parking, tolls, and subscriptions directly from their onboard infotainment systems.

Bringing Your Own Data

Salesforce is collaborating with industry leaders like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to ensure automakers have the flexibility to integrate data from various sources. Connected Vehicle launches with data integrations from:

• AWS: AWS IoT FleetWise enables easy integration of vehicle and fleet data, streamlining connected car experiences while eliminating complex manual integrations.
• Qualcomm Technologies: With Snapdragon® Car-to-Cloud, Qualcomm Technologies’ connected services platform for its Snapdragon® Digital Chassis™ platform, automakers can integrate telematics, connectivity, driver, and vehicle analytics data into Connected Vehicle, powering driver alerts, personalized offers, predictive maintenance notifications, and on-demand vehicle and feature upgrades.

Availability

• Connected Vehicle is generally available today.
• Connected Vehicle Summary, Interaction Summary, Warranty Summary, and Sales Agreement will be generally available this fall.
• The first instance of Remote Actions functionality is planned for release this fall, with more features to be added in 2025.

It looks like I’ll be trading this new car in by 2030 to get the Connected Car experience.

Written by Tectonic Marketing Solutions Provider, Shannan Hearne