Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) recently announced last week in Las Vegas it will launch a new business unit, called Mobilisights, that will explore ways to turn vehicle data into marketable products --- and cash.
Stellantis has said that its motivation is to expand its data-as-a-service business through the construction of various items. In particular, items created by Mobilisights will be sold to (for example) private enterprises and research institutes.
"The vision for Mobilisights is to contribute to a smarter world, leveraging the insights that vehicle data provide to inspire innovative applications and services that can transform and dramatically improve the day-to-day lives of users and businesses," Sanjiv Ghate, Mobilisights CEO, said in a statement.
According to Stellantis, customers' user data will only be utilized in an anonymous manner, due to its strict policies on information sharing. "The foundation of this whole business is trust," said Sanjiv Ghate, Mobilisights CEO. "Trust in our custodianship of data and trust that we are here to create a better world."
Ghate also said that the creation of this new business could potentially decrease the amount of accidents on the road by giving out specific data about hazards on the road. It will also permit insurance products to be more strongly suited for individual drivers.
Mobilisights has said that it will be a primary giver of the total 20 billion euros that is anticipated to be collected by 2030 in terms of software services. Ghate has said that he anticipates that Stellantis will be accumulating "north of a billion dollars" in terms of profit.
"Harnessed effectively, sensor and other data available from connected vehicles can enable a wide range of services and applications with compelling benefits, ranging from personalized usage-based insurance to road hazard detection and traffic management. With its 14 iconic brands and millions of connected vehicles, Stellantis has unmatched global data scale capable of powering this business forward," Ghate also said.