For years, vehicle manufacturers have been looking for ways to both boost sales and work out a way of generating revenues from customers after the vehicle’s been sold, an area typically controlled by franchised and independent workshops and garages.
Now, with the extensive roll-out of connected vehicles, this finally looks possible.
In the car world, manufacturers have talked about subscription services likened to connectivity, but consumers – used to paying upfront for features and equipment – have been unwilling to go down the subscription route.
However, with LCVs which are business tools, efficiency is all and anything that can potentially save a company money will be welcomed.
At this month’s Commercial Vehicle Show, most of the major van brands were talking up this connectivity with the latest buzzwords “uptime” and “predictive maintenance” being used extensively.
First among equals
Renault is among the brands leading the charge. The French manufacturer next-generation electric vans, starting with the new Renault Trafic E-Tech, will all be “software-defined vehicles”.
Renault’s Zak Zeghari, VP global sales and marketing commercial vehicles, said the new connectivity would allow vehicles to receive updates throughout their lifecycle, improving functionality and potentially unlocking new paid-for services in future, once the firm can prove their worth.
However, Ford is already one step further ahead and is already offering a service to increase uptime by flagging maintenance issues before they become a problem.
Ford has been expanding the capability of its Sync connected car and van system, fitted as standard to the majority of its range, to the point where it is now launching an active uptime service using connected vehicle health data and predictive modelling to identify faults before they cause breakdowns or lengthy downtime.
Using the Sync data, Ford can spot issues before vehicles fail and proactively bring them into workshops.
Alex Gallagher, Ford’s commercial vehicle director, said: “We have data to show that customers can cut their downtime by 50%.”
The system will be offered free for six months initially, before switching to a £9 subscription charged per vehicle per month.
Gallagher said the combination of telematics, dealer integration and call centre support would be difficult for rivals to replicate quickly.
However, that’s exactly what some new entrant brands are claiming they will do.
New brands, new tech
New entrant Delivan is making uptime a central pillar of its UK launch strategy. The Chinese brand, part of Chery Holding Group, will arrive in early 2027 with a mid-sized van positioned as a rival to the Ford Transit Custom and promises “better uptime than our competitors”.
At the CV Show, Delivan executives said the brand would use “predictive servicing” and high levels of connectivity to maximise vehicle availability.
Chinese EV van maker Farizon is also investing heavily in connectivity. UK sales director Kate McLaren told CAT the brand is already working with telematics specialists including Geotab to extract richer vehicle data both for fleet customers and for the OEM itself.
“We’ve got an open API, so telematics providers should be able to take the data they want,” she said.
For the aftermarket, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Independent workshops and accessory suppliers may find some traditional revenue streams under pressure, but connected platforms could also create demand for new, or faster, services, servicing, integrated accessories and data-led maintenance propositions.
Go to comments