Frost & Sullivan Releases Report on Collaboration Between Automotive and Healthcare Industries
New business models and zero innovation led to the introduction of automotive HWW functions

How will a car that checks the driver's health condition and adjusts driving conditions affect the automotive industry?

Recently, the automotive industry is devising plans to create synergy by integrating the automotive and medical industries, by providing the latest medical, health, and well-being (HWW) functions as part of vehicle capabilities.

Various suppliers and stakeholders are infusing this new value chain with diverse strengths to build various ecosystems of healthcare solutions.

The analysis report "Car as A Doctor - Automotive Industry Embracing In-car Health Monitoring and Wellbeing" (https://www.frost.com/q295543940), recently published by Frost & Sullivan Korea, examines automotive HWW functions and discusses future prospects.

It identifies HWW feature growth strategies and opportunities, as well as distinguishes technological influence and classifies market stakeholders. Furthermore, it presents a comparative analysis of the vehicle health monitoring feature integration strategies of major global OEMs across standard, optional, and premium versions. It also includes HWW case studies from major OEMs.

Vishwas Shankar, Manager of the Automotive Industry at Frost & Sullivan, said, “Trends in automotive hardware integration are having a significant impact on changes in how healthcare services are delivered, extending beyond just hospitals. Ultimately, smart homes and smart cars will become a new focal point in healthcare delivery for measuring, monitoring, performing basic diagnoses, and communicating each individual’s medical condition.”

Automotive OEMs are striving to achieve zero innovation by utilizing autonomous driving and ADAS technologies. If concepts such as V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) and V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure) are realized, it makes zero emissions and zero accidents entirely possible.

Cars are also under development that can detect a driver's heart attack, safely stop the vehicle, and notify a doctor. Among major automakers, Ford, Toyota, BMW, and Audi are striving to incorporate HWW (Heart-Wake-Wake) functionality into their next-generation vehicles.

Euro NCAP (the European New Car Assessment Programme) and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) are already working to evaluate and standardize automotive safety technologies.

Although HWW's new ecosystem and the roles of stakeholders have been determined, it is still in the early stages and there are many challenges to overcome. According to Frost & Sullivan, the adoption rate of automotive features such as convertible seats and mood lighting is expected to reach 30-40% by 2018. However, the penetration rate of key features such as blood pressure monitors is expected to fall below 5% by 2025.

Furthermore, privacy and security concerns regarding mHealth, along with strict FDA regulations and oversight, could hinder the use of medical devices in automobiles. "To survive in such nascent markets, it is necessary to build partnerships, acquire customers, and organize business models that include the medical sector," said Manager Shankar.