In an interview with Bloomberg, Daniel Kirchert, CEO of Chinese electric vehicle maker Byton, outlined his belief the car is becoming the next smart device.
Speaking about a recent deal with ViacomCBS to bring infotainment into the car, he said:
“Yeah, so I think from their side, they clearly think the car is going to become the next screen…and we have founded Byron with the vision of building a smart device on wheels….Obviously, I think our role of the car will clearly change in the future, and I think it will become a kind of fourth space.
“I mean, right now, time in cars is downtime. We go from A to B, it’s a waste of time. But with the technology we are bringing in, making the car a smart device, it will also become a digital living space. We will be able to work, we will be able to entertain and bringing in content to the car to stream is the next logical step.”
As the interview moved into possible revenue streams, Kirchert talked about the revenue sharing that would naturally occur between automakers and content providers.
“Besides selling a great car, we have built a great digital platform, which is a device, and we will bring in great content. The users will be willing to pay for great content, and of course we’re going to share that with partners.”
As cars become more connected, both with data being streamed to them and the data they generate themselves, Kirchert believes this will open up all new opportunities.
“Without any doubt, it will become a major source of revenue in the mobility industry…being on the move, and being connected on the move and monetizing data streams from there.”
The interview is a fascinating insight from the CEO of a newer car company that is approaching the industry from a very different perspective than the old standbys.