Cars have been long seen as a vehicle that can transport you from point A to point B. In later years, further features were added to define performance and design factors for speed, convenience and entertainment. Recently, dashboard entertainment has trended in modern advancement for user connectivity and automakers are grabbing the market for ride-hailing.

It is safe to say that a car isn't just a car that needs speed anymore. And if you're a marketing professional, you need to know that cars are the next must-have mobile devices.

Those movies where you can see drivers not paying attention to the road and are busy catching up on the latest celebrity trends or video-calling someone while the car drives itself is  soon going to be a reality since self-driving cars are now in the development stage.

Soon there will be a smart car that can steer on its own and the connectivity is advanced enough for users to be entertained and updated which is why this new type of market and industry is the talk of the town at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, recently.

Global CEO of Gain Theory, Jason Harrison, says:

Cars are essentially becoming the next must-have mobile device.

It's everything you need in your car everyday from point A to point B. This is a new and open opportunity for advertisers, marketers and designers to work their products for a modern user and develop them around a smart car. 

The concept is still in the development stage and there is no actual target as to when we can expect this to happen but projections have indicated that it is possible for this to become a reality in 2020. Which means marketers have enough time to build new products or modify current products to fit the self-driving car market.

Think of assisted driving features which would be more than a talking navigation gadget or pre-marked maps on your phone. There are limitless possibilities and partnering with automakers are being foreseen.

In the latest study from AutoTrader, the results show that 77% of shoppers opt for technology features compared to car color. This indicates that users prioritize convenience in a general sense, bringing their home or office to their cars. That's why consumers are now open to to possibility of self-driving cars. As reported online, once this idea becomes socially acceptable, we will be seeing consumers more connected than ever and maybe, this will reduce traffic on the road.