Faurecia and Accenture ink MoU for mobility services in connected and autonomous cars

Tier 1 supplier Faurecia and Accenture, a global professional services company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a five-year collaboration to accelerate innovation for mobility services.

As per the understanding the partners will combine their expertise and invest towards developing products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles. The focus initially will be on two areas – cognitive technologies to reinvent the on-board user experience, and services to enhance health and wellness. They also intend to leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics, augmented and virtual reality, blockchain and quantum computing to further accelerate Faurecia’s digital transformation. The expertise for these initiatives will be organised within a ‘digital services factory’.

“This ground-breaking partnership between two leading players in their fields will take the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to the next level in the automotive industry,” said Patrick Koller, CEO, Faurecia. “We will accelerate the transformation of our operations and develop new business models and user experiences for the Cockpit of the Future. This partnership will allow Faurecia to be more innovative and agile in the rapid introduction of new technologies, particularly for enhanced health and wellness and intuitive human-machine interfaces.”

Pierre Nanterme, chairman and CEO, Accenture, said, “Innovation creates a virtuous circle ― enabling companies to secure current growth, while freeing up the capital needed to invest in new products, services and business models to sustain future growth. This is exactly what we are doing through this pioneering partnership with Faurecia. By combining Accenture’s ability to turn disruptive technologies into business results with Faurecia’s expertise in leading-edge automotive technologies and our two companies’ common focus on innovation, we intend to invent the future of the automotive industry.”

With drivers spending up to 500 hours a year, on average, in their cars and the continuing progress in the field of self-driving vehicles, car interiors will become an extension of the home and office, providing a similar experience and range of services.

As per the company statement this collaboration illustrates what Accenture refers to as Industry X.0, the profound shift of industrial manufacturing to digital products and services that will increasingly require new methods and processes to produce and deliver them as well as support them in the field.