Deloitte Review identifies key trends shaping the future of mobility and smart cities

New York — As new technologies and social trends transform how people live and travel, companies and governments now have a pivotal opportunity to take advantage of and shape the future, according to the 20th edition of Deloitte Review. The report outlines several global trends shaping the future of mobility and smart cities.

Cathy Engelbert, CEO of Deloitte LLP in the U.S., writes, “While no one knows precisely how we will live and move about in the future, one thing is clear – we are beginning to experience a wave of innovations that can fundamentally alter daily life. As cities become smarter and mobility becomes frictionless, the future is here.”

The report highlights ways in which industry lines are blurring and “coopetition” is increasingly becoming the new norm. “While industry incumbents and disruptors are making significant moves to shape the future, both sets of players realize that collaboration is the surest path to a value-added role within the ecosystem. A critical first step is understanding what specific roles a company might play, and what capabilities will be required to succeed,” said Scott Corwin, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Future of Mobility practice leader and sponsor of the report.

The special section is comprised of articles such as:

“The rise of mobility as a service: Reshaping how urbanites get around” — In forward-looking cities like Helsinki, Paris, Eindhoven, Gothenburg, Montpellier, Vienna, Hanover, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Singapore and Barcelona, mobility as a service (MaaS) is emerging as the next revolution in urban travel. MaaS relies on a digital platform that integrates end-to-end trip planning and payments. By answering the question of how best to get individual users where they’re going based on real-time conditions and their own preferences, MaaS starts to move us toward a more user-centered mobility paradigm. As governments and business leaders look to reshape the way urbanites get around, there are lessons that can be learned from markets around the globe — and there are specific actions that leaders can take to realize the tremendous benefits of MaaS.

“Making cities smarter: How citizens’ collective intelligence can guide better decision making” – Optimizing physical infrastructure is only part of the smart city story. City planners now have access to a host of new tools that can help them tap the collective wisdom of the citizenry to make better decisions. Data science, behavioral science and digital technologies can give voice to more constituents and help leaders to make their cities not only more efficient, but also better places to live.

“The race to autonomous driving: Winning American consumers’ trust” – Deloitte surveyed more than 22,000 consumers in 17 countries as part of its continuous assessment of consumer behavior via its Global Automotive Consumer Insight platform. Among the findings: U.S. consumer interest in advanced vehicle automation has increased, especially among younger generations; however, willingness to pay for these technologies has decreased. The survey also found consumers’ preferences vary substantially when looked at through generational and geographic lenses.

The special section also includes:

• “The urban optimist” – A Q&A with Daniel Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs and smart-city visionary who passionately advocates that we are at a historic pivot point for cities, as technology enables greater connectivity for higher quality of life at lower cost, while instilling a greater sense of transparency, accountability and community
• “Framing the future of mobility: Using behavioral economics to accelerate consumer adoption” – An analysis of how organizations can use behavioral economics to encourage consumer adoption of new modes of transport
• “The future of mobility: What’s next? Tomorrow’s mobility ecosystem — and how to succeed in it” – An article originally released in September 2016 that presents Deloitte’s overarching framework for the future of mobility

“Over a year ago we asserted that the extended global auto industry was undergoing an unprecedented transformation to become a completely new mobility ecosystem,” said Corwin. “Since then, the pace of change has been nothing short of breathtaking. Through hundreds of conversations with corporate executives, government leaders, technologists and academics around the globe, we have gained a front-row seat to mobility trends and how the future of mobility is evolving. With the launch of this Deloitte Review, we are pleased to present the insights we have gathered through the course of these conversations, and provide leaders with a roadmap for navigating the future of mobility.”

The full report can be accessed at https://dupress.deloitte.com/deloitte-review.