Connected Vehicles: What the automotive sector can teach us about the future of IoT

Asset tracking depends on continuous visibility as connected devices move across countries, networks and operating environments.

The automotive industry has spent years addressing these challenges.

Long before IoT became a mainstream business priority, vehicle manufacturers were deploying millions of connected vehicles across global markets. Today, automotive represents one of the most mature and sophisticated examples of IoT at scale, demonstrating what becomes possible when connectivity, lifecycle management and industry collaboration come together.

For organisations embarking on large-scale IoT deployments, automotive provides a valuable blueprint for the future.

The next generation of IoT will not be defined by the number of connected devices. It will be defined by how effectively organisations manage those devices throughout their entire lifecycle – and automotive has already shown the way on how to manage this evolution at scale.

Modern vehicles are no longer simply modes of transport. They are connected software-defined platforms whose capabilities continue to evolve long after they leave the factory. 

From navigation and predictive maintenance to infotainment, emergency services and software updates, today's vehicles depend on continuous connectivity throughout their operational lifetime.

Unlike many enterprise IoT deployments that are only now beginning to scale, automotive has spent years managing connected devices across multiple countries, mobile operators and regulatory environments.

At Thales, we have experienced this evolution first-hand. Today, more than half of the world's connected vehicles rely on Thales connectivity technology, giving us unique insight into what it takes to deliver secure, resilient connectivity at global scale.

Connectivity no longer just means supporting a handful of telematics services.

The emergence of software-defined vehicles means connectivity now underpins the customer experience itself. New features can be delivered after purchase, vehicle performance can be optimised remotely, and software updates can be deployed securely over the air.

This fundamentally changes how manufacturers think about connectivity. It's no longer a standalone component but part of a broader digital foundation combining cybersecurity, identity, software lifecycle management and trusted digital services. 

Rather than being a one-time deployment decision, connectivity must evolve throughout the lifetime of the vehicle. Remote provisioning, secure eSIM management and lifecycle orchestration become essential to ensuring vehicles remain connected as networks, technologies and customer expectations continue to change.

A vehicle may remain in operation for 10 to 15 years or more, cross borders, change owners and function across evolving networks, technology and regulatory environments. The key lesson for IoT is therefore not simply how to connect a device on day one, but how to keep it secure, manageable, and adaptable throughout its lifecycle. 

The next chapter of connected vehicles is not about proving the technology works. It is about making global deployments simpler, more resilient and easier to manage.

This is why collaboration across the ecosystem has become so important.

A recent example is Thales' partnership with Cubic, which combines Thales' GSMA SGP.32-compliant eSIM management platform with Cubic's global connectivity capabilities. Together, the two companies are helping automotive manufacturers deploy and manage connected vehicles across more than 200 countries without relying on physical SIM replacement or complex provisioning processes.

It is a strong example of how the industry is moving beyond connectivity itself towards automation, interoperability and lifecycle management – capabilities that will increasingly define enterprise IoT across every sector.

The challenges automotive has solved are no longer unique to automotive.

Utilities are managing millions of smart meters with operational lifecycles measured in decades. Logistics companies need continuous visibility of assets moving across international borders. Manufacturers require secure, resilient connectivity for increasingly connected production environments.

While every industry has its own operational requirements, the foundations remain remarkably similar: secure connectivity, global interoperability, remote lifecycle management and the ability to evolve devices long after deployment.

These are precisely the capabilities the automotive industry has spent years refining while continuing to adapt to new software architectures, cybersecurity requirements, and regulatory environments. 

At Thales, we are now applying that expertise across the wider IoT ecosystem. Through collaborations with global connectivity providers such as AT&T and technology innovators like Cubic, we are helping organisations simplify deployments, strengthen resilience and accelerate secure IoT adoption across industries.

Automotive has spent more than a decade proving that secure, global IoT connectivity can work at scale and why it must continue to evolve throughout a long operational lifecycle. 

The opportunity now is to help every other industry benefit from those same lessons.

Scale, visibility, and maturity are three defining characteristics of enterprise IoT. Together, they illustrate a simple truth. Successful IoT is no longer measured by the number of connected devices, but by how effectively organisations manage those devices throughout their lifecycle.

The next era of IoT will belong to organisations that can build secure, resilient and intelligent connected ecosystems. The automotive industry has already shown what that future looks like.