At this year’s Shanghai Motor Show, SBD’s research team noted that Chinese manufacturers once again focussed on technological advances with numerous new systems and innovations on display. SBD’s predicted rise in the fitment of smart key systems was apparent across most foreign brands and also from domestic brand BYD.  However, it was Geely that took the boldest approach in their anti-theft technology development, showing a fingerprint recognition scanner entry and engine start system. Although this is a new step for Geely, this isn’t the first time that manufacturers have tried to introduce biometrics onto cars.

Rival Chinese manufacturer Great Wall, showcased a fingerprint scanner for unlocking their CHC011 concept at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show but the feature did not reach production.  In Europe, in 2002 the Audi A8 could be specified with an optional fingerprint scanner that allowed operation of the comfort features, although this was dropped on later versions following a lack of customer uptake.  By far the most commonly used biometric technology in cars is voice recognition technology – most commonly used for hands-free operation of comfort features and mobile phone use whilst driving.

The introduction of a biometric technology as part of a vehicle security solution is therefore not a breakthrough, but the technology has struggled to gain acceptance from customers.

Biometrics are often seen as the ‘perfect solution’ for security applications – each ID is unique to the user, this ID cannot be lost and it is difficult for a thief to replicate.  Building access, computer security and security safes have used biometric security for many years.  However, there are still concerns in using this technology on a vehicle, such as higher risk of false rejection (when a legitimate user is denied) due to the harsh user environment, or the inconvenience of lending the vehicle to someone else and having to ‘learn’ their ID to the system beforehand.

Worse still, the greatest perceived risk of biometric systems is to the user themselves.  In 2005 it was reported that a Malaysian gang severed their victim’s finger in order to operate the aftermarket fingerprint scanner on a Mercedes S-Class.  Furthermore, this kind of violence and threat is commonly represented in the film industry where protagonists are shown defeating biometric systems, often in quite horrific ways – it’s understandable why a customer might therefore be nervous before they agree to purchase a vehicle with an iris or fingerprint scanner.

So for the short term future, despite these new launches, SBD do not expect that biometric technology will become a common part of vehicle security systems, though their use in comfort features and non-security applications may continue to rise.  Until the customer concerns can be reduced and the technology be accepted, then demand is likely to remain low. 

In the longer-term it is still possible that cars of the future will recognise their user before they unlock the doors and start the engine, but it remains to be seen if the Chinese customers are ready for Geely’s biometric security or whether this proves to be just an attention grabbing feature included for publicity at the motor show.

Interested in learning how to design security for future demand?

SBD have produced a comprehensive report, European Security - An analysis of biometric technology for automotive security applications, that analyses different types of biometric systems available with a focus on the four most viable technologies for future automotive security applications   SBD helps vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and aftermarket fully understand the design criteria that they must meet to provide their customers with better protection and lower cost of insurance. To learn more about our services or European Security - An analysis of biometric technology for automotive security applications please contact Kavitha Kuppuswamy at kkuppuswamy@sbd.co.uk