Automotive News Dealer Outlook Survey: Staying Profitable in 2026
Artificial intelligence is moving rapidly into modern vehicles, powering driver assistance, autonomous-driving systems, digital cockpits and conversational assistants. Yet automakers and suppliers are discovering that more computing does not automatically mean a better car. The industry must balance AI performance with safety, energy use, heat, cybersecurity, reliability, semiconductor costs and real-time processing. As software-defined vehicles evolve, success will depend on deploying AI where it creates measurable value without overwhelming the vehicle’s architecture or its occupants.