Connected cars in India have moved beyond luxury, becoming everyday essentials with features like ADAS, remote operations, and V2X, reshaping driving experiences while setting the stage for smarter, safer, and future-ready mobility solutions.
23 Aug 2025 | 8187 Views | By Dipesh Jain, Ipsos India
Since its launch, connected cars have transformed from a luxury novelty to an essential feature for Indian consumers. This revolution has redefined the automotive landscape, turning vehicles into smart, connected platforms that seamlessly integrate with our digital lives. As technology continues to evolve, connected cars are not just changing how ...
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Since its launch, connected cars have transformed from a luxury novelty to an essential feature for Indian consumers. This revolution has redefined the automotive landscape, turning vehicles into smart, connected platforms that seamlessly integrate with our digital lives. As technology continues to evolve, connected cars are not just changing how we drive, but also how we interact with our vehicles and the world around us.
A decade ago, a “connected car” was little more than an industry buzzword—something reserved for luxury sedans or high-end SUVs. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. Indian car buyers, from metropolitan professionals to aspirational tier-2 families, now expect their vehicles to be smart, intuitive, and seamlessly integrated with their digital lives.
Before connectivity, cars were standalone machines. A basic music system and navigation were considered cutting-edge accessories. But as smartphones and the Internet of Things (IoT) exploded in popularity, cars began to evolve. They became intelligent companions, offering internet access, remote diagnostics, and a host of digital features that seemed like science fiction just a few years ago.
Connected Features That Matter Most to Indian Consumers
This transformation wasn't merely technological—it was deeply consumer-driven. Connected car features swiftly transitioned from premium luxuries to near-essential criteria for a growing segment of Indian consumers. By 2024, the share of passenger vehicles with embedded cellular connectivity reached approximately 37%, with services like voice assistants, live navigation, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air updates becoming de facto purchase differentiators.
For Indian consumers, the most valued connected features are those that integrate seamlessly into everyday life, enhancing convenience, safety, and peace of mind. Remote operations—like starting the engine, pre-cooling the cabin, or locking the car from a smartphone—are especially prized in India's varied climate and congested urban settings.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), once a premium offering, has become increasingly mainstream. These systems support safer commutes with features like lane-keeping assist, emergency braking, and blind spot detection—all tuned specifically for India's unique traffic patterns and road conditions.
The infotainment systems in modern connected cars are a far cry from the basic radios of the past. Today's vehicles boast high-resolution digital command hubs with multilingual voice assistants, gesture control, and cloud-connected navigation. They even feature app ecosystems for entertainment and productivity, transforming cars into an extension of consumers' digital lives.
As Indian drivers navigate through cities and highways, these connected features have become deciding factors in their car-buying decisions, ranking alongside traditional concerns like safety and fuel efficiency.
The Cutting Edge – Features Defining the Next Wave
The story of connected cars in India continues to unfold with cutting-edge innovations. Various brands are developing technologies that blend advanced engineering with practical solutions to meet everyday customer needs. From personalized voice interactions that understand regional languages to health-focused cabin features addressing urban air quality concerns, automakers are using connectivity to enhance convenience, safety, and user engagement.
The Future – From Connected Cars to Connected Mobility
Looking to the future, Indian consumers are excited about the promise of V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication and 5G connectivity. Soon, cars will be able to communicate with each other, with infrastructure, and even with pedestrians' devices, opening up new possibilities for improved safety and traffic flow.
Cars are evolving from static machines into dynamic, intelligent platforms that grow smarter over time. They're becoming more like smartphones on wheels, receiving regular updates that add new features and improve performance. Consumers are beginning to imagine a world where their cars can anticipate hazards before they're visible and automatically adjust to individual preferences and moods.
Conclusion – The Strategic Battleground
As connected car technology becomes a decisive battleground for market leadership in India, it's clear that it's no longer just about selling cars—it's about creating an evolving partnership between brands and customers. Indian consumers appreciate how automakers are localizing their offerings, addressing everyday realities like gridlocked streets, extreme weather, and air quality concerns.
The future belongs to brands that can integrate vehicles into a wider mobility and lifestyle network, connecting with home automation, smart city infrastructure, and more. As cars automatically sync with home systems, turning on lights and adjusting air conditioning, Indian consumers are witnessing firsthand how far automotive technology has come in the recent decade.
The question in consumers' minds has shifted from "Does it have connected features?" to "How intelligent and future-ready is it?" As they step out of their increasingly smart vehicles, Indian car owners can't help but wonder what the next decade will bring in the world of connected mobility.
(Dipesh Jain is the Associate Director, Market Strategy & Understanding (MSU) at Ipsos India. Views expressed are the author's personal.)