PUBLISHED DATE: 2025-08-14 17:39:14
Publicis Sapient at Viva Technology 2025
June 11-14, Paris
Beyond the Concept Cars: VivaTech 2025 Auto and Mobility Takeaways
What We Saw on the Paris Show Floor That Matters for Mobility Leaders
Instead of the usual flashy concept cars, most of the real action was happening behind closed doors, where leaders were asking tough questions about what’s actually ready to roll out and what’s still just a demo.
— Peter Berggren, Nordics Industry Lead, Publicis Sapient
A Low-Profile Year for Automakers, But Not a Lost One
If past VivaTechs were dominated by flashy vehicle showcases, 2025 felt different. Many auto OEMs scaled back their public presence, a reflection of industry headwinds from supply chain volatility, tightening tariffs, and new competitors from China.
But behind the scenes, serious discussions were underway. It wasn’t loud, but it was focused. B2B commerce transformation and connected services were top of mind. The consensus? AI’s role in the mobility industry will come not from headline-grabbing demos, but from embedded, foundational shifts in business models.
Two Themes Dominated Executive Conversations
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Connected Services Get Smarter (and More Monetizable)
Sensor data, edge AI, software-defined vehicles (SDV), and real-time connectivity are no longer only R&D topics. They are core to how OEMs plan to improve uptime, enable usage-based business models, and personalize driver experiences. Several Tier 1 suppliers and fleet platforms showcased systems that integrate predictive maintenance, real-time diagnostics, and subscription services—all powered by AI under the hood.
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B2B Commerce Goes Omni
Commercial mobility leaders, parts suppliers, and aftermarket platforms are pushing to modernize how they sell. Think Amazon-like B2B platforms, real-time inventory syncing, personalized dealer portals, and conversational AI for procurement. AI isn’t the product; it’s how the transaction becomes faster, smarter, and more tailored.
Commerce in this space is multi-party and multi-stage. But we’re finally seeing leaders embrace true omni-channel operations, in B2C as well as B2B, in fleet, dealer, and aftermarket.
What Caught Our Attention on the Floor
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Slingshot Builds Trust in 12 Days
We were live on the floor demonstrating Sapient Slingshot, our AI development platform, showing how a legacy e-commerce site was rebuilt into a modular frontend with embedded compliance, personalization, and generative content in under two weeks. For OEMs, the implication is clear: digitization no longer has to wait on your old stack.
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Digital Twins Make the Leap to Factory Floors
While BMW’s AI-powered manufacturing twin was featured more prominently at NVIDIA’s adjacent GTC event, its presence was felt throughout VivaTech. Expect automotive factories to increasingly adopt AI-driven digital twins that simulate throughput, energy use, and quality assurance in real time.
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Battery Lifecycle Innovation Makes a Strong Showing
Startups focused on EV battery reuse, recycling, and second-life applications were prominent across the show floor, reflecting growing industry urgency around sustainable battery lifecycle management. From AI-powered diagnostics for battery health to platforms enabling closed-loop supply chains, these solutions aim to reduce waste, lower raw material costs, and meet evolving ESG targets.
But What About Agentic AI?
Despite the buzz, most automotive leaders remained skeptical. Agentic AI is still mostly proof-of-concepts. Interesting? Absolutely. Ready to scale across a global OEM? Not yet.
Yes, you could see agent demos using voice assistants or chat-driven infotainment. But real-world, production-grade agent deployments in automotive were few and far between. Smarter money is still on more embedded uses of AI, like predictive diagnostics, AI-generated tech manuals, or automated data labeling for autonomous vehicle systems.
Let’s Get to Work
If you’re exploring how to modernize your B2B commerce or embed AI across your connected vehicle strategy, our teams would love to share what we showed automakers in Paris.
One of our latest projects rebuilt a commercial vehicle sales portal with real-time quoting, personalized fleet offers, and dealer-partner dashboards in just six weeks. Another created a connected services roadmap tied to specific monetization models, turning usage data into new revenue streams.
Want to see what’s working—and what’s not—in mobility AI right now? Let’s set up a call.
Darach Ó Braonáin
Group Vice President, Publicis Sapient
darach.obraonain@publicissapient.com
Peter Berggren
Nordics Industry Lead, Publicis Sapient
peter.berggren@publicissapient.com
publicissapient.com