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Tesla leads the 2023 Digital Automaker Index, while big names flounder at the bottom. Automakers were evaluated in eight areas, including culture and leadership, talent, architectures, connected vehicles, autonomous driving, electrification, smart cockpit, and online sales potential.

The Digital Automaker Index was created by consultancy firm Gartner to assess automakers in eight software-centric areas. They were compiled into a table and made up an overall ranking that included 20 automakers this year (via Automotive News Europe). The categories include culture and leadership, talent, architectures, connected vehicles, autonomous driving, electrification, smart cockpit and online sales potential.

Tesla took first place in the 2023 Digital Automaker Index, proving it is not just a car company, but a technology company. The Texas-based manufacturer topped the rankings with 80.1%. This is a significant advantage over most of the companies on the list. However, it is rightfully deserved, as no other automaker in the world invests as much in the development of technologies for their cars as Tesla.

In second place is Nio. The company was able to score 69.7% out of 100%. It is followed by Xpeng with 58.2%. The rest of the automakers were not even able to score 50%. In fourth place is Rivian with 48%, and in fifth is Lucid with 46.8%. As you can see, the top 5 are American and Chinese automakers, but there is not a single legacy there. This only confirms the fact that companies with a long history of existence are in no hurry to keep up with the times. They are unable to allocate funds for research and development, and are busy fighting for survival in the face of competition from young and ambitious companies.

At the bottom of the list, in descending order, were Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, SAIC Motor, Mazda, and JLR. Famous names such as Volkswagen, Ford, BMW, and Mercedes are in the middle. Stellantis ranks 14th out of 20 in the Gartner index.

The Stellantis ranking highlights a key issue that most long-established brands face. They do not achieve the promised transformation into technology companies from automakers quickly enough.

“If they don't address this it will just deteriorate. Then, one day, it might be game over,” Gartner analyst Pedro Pacheco, who is one of the creators of the index, said in an interview. He said that companies with a software-focused corporate culture scored higher than those that just keep talking about being tech companies.

For example, Tesla and Nio got top scores in the culture and leadership category because they have “a high number of leadership members with strong experience in the digital world,” according to the index. Tesla and Nio also got the maximum score of five points for having a management structure where the chief information and chief digital officers report directly to the CEO. According to the index, if the CEO is directly linked to the CIO and CDO, it gives companies more power to “take strategic decisions that lead to better software monetization.”

© 2023, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts; follow him on Twitter

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