Software-defined vehicles are cars that use computer programs to manage their systems instead of relying on a lot of physical parts. This means they can be updated and changed easily through software instead of needing new hardware.
Zonal architecture is a way of organizing the electronics in a car by grouping them into different areas, each controlled by a main computer. This makes the car's systems simpler and more efficient.
Affordability in car ownership means how much it costs to buy and take care of a car. People want to make sure they can afford not just the car itself, but also things like gas, insurance, and repairs.
Customization in vehicles means changing a car to make it look or work the way you want. This can include things like changing the color, adding new features, or even altering the shape of the car.
Pickup to crossover conversion means changing a pickup truck so it works like a crossover SUV. This can involve adding seats or a roof to make it more like an SUV.
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It's the big thing right now, that Vivian wants to do autonomous driving testless, doing autonomous driving, Lucid just having autonomous driving deal. She said we're not interested, and then software-defined vehicles, and Vivian and Volkswagen are doing this thing where they have this zonal architecture that, rather than having 100 chips on every little thing in the car, it uses processors in three zones that control all the electronics,
and we're not interested in that either. We're using kind of an old-school network. We're focused on the basic experience of car ownership and making that accessible, and that the slate is kind of competing with used cars, if you look at used-car values, that's their kind of price competitive. And so all that stuff, all that fluff, I mentioned it before, all that stuff costs money, right? And this is a basic experience.
It's an interesting dichotomy as you point out. I mean, we recently heard from RJ Scorinch on Daily Drive talking about how Vivian sees itself as really setting up for kind of 10 years down the road more than anything. Like that's kind of where RJ Scorinch's mind is at, right? What will software-defined vehicles mean for the industry, not today, but 10 years down the road?
It sounds like slate is taking kind of the exact opposite approach.
Right, at least now with what would they, we know that they're doing, they're not talking about future projects or anything, right?
They're focused right now is on affordability, customization, trying to get the imagination of young people or even young at hard people who maybe want to change the color or maybe want to have their pickup turn into a crossover by putting this bed kit on it that adds seats in a roof, or seats in no roof, right?
And then it's like a Jeep. And so I think they're really into that basic car owning experience. And I think that makes sense, though, because you do look like down the future, you look at surveys and stuff.
Some day people don't want all that stuff, but right now if you look at the car market and you look at some of the surveys, people want affordability, they want affordable cars.
I mean, sure they want all the fancy stuff, too, eventually, but all that cost money. And I think that, you know, slate's focused for right now, you know, they're really trying to do one thing really well.
And I think, you know, that could work. It's interesting how they're focused on it. And, you know, down the road, who knows, we don't know how long they'll survive, maybe a long time.
Maybe they'll get into some of these other things, have more expensive cars with more features, but right now they're very focused.
Coming up, Clarify Group co-founder and president Darren Slend discusses the latest findings in a survey about auto shows that's next on this bonus episode of Daily Drive.
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Welcome back. On a recent episode of the Automotive News Canada podcast, publisher Tim Demopolis talks with Darren Slend, president of Clarify Group, which recently conducted a survey about auto shows.
It was commissioned by the Canadian International Auto Show, the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the New York International Auto Show.
And it has some pretty surprising findings. Here's a piece of that conversation.
So Darren, your new research challenges the idea that car buyers have moved entirely online. What do the findings tell us about why the in-person auto show experience still matters so much in 2026?
Well, Tim, we know from not only this visitor experience research, but other work that we've been doing, that the new vehicle buying journey is really a blend of both the online and the in-person, you know, when you consider the steps through the buying journey for most consumers.
In fact, only a relatively small minority of shoppers would be either all digital or all in-person. The vast majority, it's a blend.
And so for the auto show and particularly the large multi-day multifaceted shows, like the ones we're talking about today, including the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the New York International Auto Show and the Los Angeles Auto Show.
They offer consumers an unrivaled opportunity to see and to learn and to drive new vehicles that are of interest to them in one place. That's the key and at one time.
And in fact, the data goes on to suggest that the average visitor at these shows is spending over four hours and combined having something like nine plus in vehicle experiences.
So if you consider the cost for an OEM or a large dealer group to replicate that kind of consumer engagement outside of an auto show, I mean it would be prohibitive.
So what we're seeing from the data is that when you think about the show itself from a return or ROI return on investment perspective, it delivers strong value to exhibitors.
And I would argue that it doesn't replace digital marketing. In fact, it accelerates the impact of digital marketing because it drives consumers or drives behaviors of consumers that both OEMs and dealers care about.
Still looking at ROI, most people that exhibit or most companies that exhibit are looking for real sort of action from their visits to the auto show.
So how much more likely are auto show attendees to purchase? And what's driving that level of purchase intent?
Well, I think the answer, well, I'm not sure whether it'll surprise you or not, but we've calculated this in comparison to the average North American consumer.
A visitor to one of the three auto shows that we're talking about is 2.9 times more likely to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months.
So the statistics are 14% for the average North American consumer in the next 12 months as compared to 40% for the big three North American auto shows.
So nearly three times. And when we ask visitors in these post visit studies that we do, why they come, the responses are remarkably consistent across not only the big three North American shows.
But also we work with Montreal and Vancouver and the results are remarkably consistent.
The number one reason 80% of visitors come to see what's new in terms of models and brands.
The second most compelling reason for attendance is that 50% of visitors want to learn more about new automotive technology.
And as you know, things are rapidly changing on that front. And third and perhaps most significant for exhibitors is that nearly two and five visitors, 37% come to the show to make the decision on their next vehicle.
And the auto shows the perfect venue, the perfect way to accomplish all of these objectives.
So one of the more surprising insights is that the Gen Z visitors are among the most enthusiastic regarding auto shows and they're also most enthusiastic promoters.
So what does that say about how younger consumers engage with automotive brands today?
Indeed, it was kind of a counter intuitive finding when we first saw it.
And we double and triple check the data. And of course, what we've seen now, this is three years in a row, we've seen the same result.
And we've seen the same result across markets. So this is not a fluke.
But when we compare the likelihood of different age categories of visitors to recommend the show, you know, to family and friends.
By far, the most enthusiastic promoters are the 20 to 29 age group, essentially the Gen Z in America, the Gen Z cohort in Canada.
And you know, when we sort of dig a little bit deeper, you know, as to why that might be the case, there's a couple of main reasons.
Number one, we know that vehicle technology is changing at a very rapid pace, you know, everything from software defined vehicles to various forms of electrification.
And we also know that new vehicle prices are at record levels. And so the stakes, particularly for younger consumers are very high.
They don't want to make a bad decision. They want to be fully educated.
And so these younger buyers essentially appreciate the show for not only its educational value, but also the efficiency it offers them in terms of being able to see.
And in many cases drive the vehicles that interest them as you know, all of these shows have significant both indoor and outdoor test track opportunities.
You can hear the full conversation between automotive news Canada publisher Tim Demopolis and clarify group president Darren Slend on the October 31st edition of the Automotive News Canada podcast.
That's available now wherever you get your podcasts.
Thanks for listening to this bonus episode of Daily Drive. We'll be back on Monday with a brand new full episode of the show.
About this episode
Vivian's approach to autonomous driving and software-defined vehicles contrasts sharply with Slate's focus on affordability and customization for younger buyers. The discussion highlights how Slate prioritizes the basic car ownership experience over advanced tech, appealing to a market that values cost-effective options. Additionally, a survey reveals that Gen Z is particularly enthusiastic about auto shows, valuing them for their educational benefits and the opportunity to experience vehicles firsthand. This episode dives into the evolving landscape of consumer preferences in the automotive industry.
Automotive News’ Laurence Iliff talks about why Slate has no interest in getting especially high-tech or jumping into the self-driving race with fellow electric vehicle startups such as Tesla or Rivian. Plus, Clarify Group President Darren Slind talks about the company’s latest auto show survey and some surprising results.
