After our biggest AutoSens event to date, our very own Robert Stead has shared his reflections on the highlights of this year’s event in Barcelona. From exciting discussions on user acceptance to key market shifts and the success of our new destination, here are Rob’s top three takeaways from AutoSens Europe 2024:
Barcelona was the right choice
It was an emotional decision to leave the spiritual home of AutoSens, Brussels, where it all started, and move to a new space, a new city, and a new country. However, the feedback we’ve received on the choice of Barcelona and the purpose-built FIRA venue has been overwhelmingly positive. Barcelona is a truly global destination city, with travel connections as good as anywhere in the world. We’ve had great local support from the engineering associations in Spain covering automotive and semiconductors, and we look forward to building on these connections. Most importantly, while business remained the focus, many attendees mentioned that it was their first time visiting Barcelona, and they really enjoyed the experience.
User acceptance is key
Attending talks and panels across InCabin and AutoSens, one common theme emerged, and it’s critical to the safety mission—user acceptance. Drivers and vehicle owners are resistant to anything that feels restrictive, doesn’t work as intended, limits their freedom, or feels like a nuisance. We must be acutely aware of these risks—there’s no point in developing a safety system with a 100% accident prevention rate if the user turns it off because it’s annoying. The disciplines of HMI, human factors, UX design, and research into user acceptance and adoption of ADAS safety features and autonomous vehicles are essential to ensuring these systems are embraced. I believe the industry has much to learn and work to do to make sure these safety systems are fully accepted by vehicle users.
China market differentiation
We heard from several sources about how the Chinese automotive market is diverging from the US and EU markets, particularly in terms of powertrain, ADAS/autonomy, and the level of consumer-focused technology inside vehicles. Any company operating on a global scale should pay close attention to what’s happening in China to understand both the opportunities and the risks if this market differentiation isn’t recognized. That’s why we’ve established AutoSens China, taking place in Hefei (near Shanghai) from November 19–21 this year. Attendees will get to meet all the major players in the Chinese market, along with global companies focusing on China. The agenda features our usual range of technical content on innovations, as well as discussions on how to build and foster connections between Chinese and international technology companies to maximize business and safety success globally.
