Faurecia and Accenture announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding for a five-year collaboration to accelerate innovation for mobility services. The two say they will focus initially on two areas: cognitive technologies to reinvent the onboard user experience, and services to enhance health and wellness. Their initiatives will be organized within a "digital services factory."

"This groundbreaking partnership between two leading players in their fields will take the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to the next level in the automotive industry," said Patrick Koller, CEO of Faurecia. "We will accelerate the transformation of our operations and develop new business models and user experiences for the cockpit of the future. This partnership will allow Faurecia to be more innovative and agile in the rapid introduction of new technologies, particularly for enhanced health and wellness and intuitive human-machine interfaces."

Pierre Nanterme, Accenture's Chairman and CEO, said, "Innovation creates a virtuous circle―enabling companies to secure current growth, while freeing up the capital needed to invest in new products, services, and business models to sustain future growth. This is exactly what we are doing through this pioneering partnership with Faurecia. By combining Accenture's ability to turn disruptive technologies into business results with Faurecia's expertise in leading-edge automotive technologies and our two companies' common focus on innovation, we intend to invent the future of the automotive industry." 

The companies say that with drivers spending up to 500 hours a year, on average, in their cars and the continuing progress in the field of self-driving vehicles, car interiors will become an extension of the home and office, providing a similar experience and range of services. This collaboration illustrates what Accenture refers to as Industry X.0, the profound shift of industrial manufacturing to digital products and services that will increasingly require new methods and processes to produce and deliver them as well as support them in the field.

A press conference held by Patrick Koller, Faurecia's CEO, with the participation of Marc Carrel-Billiard, senior managing director, Accenture Global Technology Research & Development, will take place on January 8 during the CES Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel at 4:00 p.m. (room Surf A-B-C).