DETROIT — Stellantis looks to generate more revenue through vehicle software in the years ahead, but consumers don’t have to worry about the automaker charging for basic amenities such as heated seats.
Any premium services coming from Stellantis will provide additional value, said Mamatha Chamarthi, Stellantis’ chief business growth officer, software experience.
The company expects to capture $21.6 billion in annual revenue from vehicle software by 2030, and is thinking of innovative ways to make this happen. Chamarthi believes offering features on demand could open doors to more revenue. Stellantis has said in the past that it’s expecting to have 34 million monetizable connected cars globally by 2030.
In the future, Stellantis may use software to unlock horsepower, Chamarthi said. Imagine someone bringing their Dodge Challenger to the track for a day of rubber-burning fun, but they want to take its performance to the next level.
That’s a moment where Stellantis can tap into the customer’s needs, she said.
“I can, through software, update the horsepower,” Chamarthi said Wednesday during a technology panel discussion that examined the future of connected cars. “It’s not street-legal to drive at a higher horsepower, but when I’m on the track, it’s OK for me to drive with a higher horsepower, so that’s a feature on demand.
“So a feature on demand, knowing the context of the customer,” she said. “And I’m presenting that opportunity to the customer at that right business moment.”
Chamarthi was joined on the panel by Jim Heaton, chief architect for the automotive sector at Deloitte; Subhash Sakorikar, director of strategy, growth and transformation at Tata Consultancy Services; and Achyut Jajoo, senior vice president and general manager of Salesforce. It was moderated by Rajani Sinha, Salesforce’s senior director, industry solutions and strategy, automotive.
