In Vehicle Content, Services & Tech Partnerships / Co-Founder Ford MakeItDriveable Program, Ford of Europe
Scott Lyons, In Vehicle Content, Services & Tech Partnerships / Co-Founder Ford MakeItDriveable Program, Ford of Europe
Q: What interested you about joining the Advisory Board for AutoTech: Europe?
A: – AutoTech has always been an important event in my calendar and I felt it important this year to help influence the topics and agenda to ensure a solid and stimulating event for all.
Q: What hot topics are you exploring most in the automotive sector currently?
A: – Naturally the EV revolution and all that this brings along with it. I’m a glass half full kind of guy so have a positive outlook and with EV’s that brings the important elements like batteries, raw materials and new partnerships to bear. In addition, new driver use-cases like charging (and what you can do during that time) ultimately demand new experiences to be delivered tapping into the connectivity and in-vehicle tech (larger screens, etc). We really are on the cusp of some major changes in what will in the future be considered a tipping point.
Q: In what way can automakers build a more strategic business through shared learnings with a third party?
A: – Partnerships have never been more important than in 2022! There are quite a few new areas that require OEM’s to delve into spaces that may be beyond their capabilities or expertise and that’s where the potential of strategic partnerships and smart investments comes into play. Making a few investments and “bets” to help hedge risk and ensure that you remain a ‘’master of your own destiny” are incredibly important but require patience and a longer-term outlook. Sharing experiences (and failures) are important and as the partnership opportunities grow to include a whole new batch of companies and sectors this external knowledge sharing is very valuable.
Q: How can automakers connect future visions with the reality of current applications and technology?
A: – All OEM’s have a future vision, but the real question is how much of that vision will actually be reality!? The industry has historically been risk-adverse (and for good reason) but as new solutions come on stream and become more accessible and proven we should perhaps re-evaluate the decision-making process. Keeping an open mind (and losing some of the historical baggage) is hard but absolutely critical to being more agile and ultimately successful.