Honda joins $400bn gold rush to monetize smart car data

Automakers eager to turn big data into valuable info for businesses

20210928N Honda electric

Honda holds driving data on about 3.7 million vehicles. © Reuters

RYOTARO YAMADA and KOTARO ABE, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Honda Motor has launched a new business that sells data generated by smart vehicles, joining a crush of rivals in a new industry destined to be worth as much as $400 billion a year.

So-called connected cars are equipped with cameras, lasers and electrical control units that turn the vehicles into moving sensors. A whole range of data can be collected, from driving distances and speeds all the way to the entertainment content played by the vehicle occupants.

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