Subaru of America is the latest automotive manufacturer making the leap into connected cars, this time leveraging a mobile application from Liberty Mutual Insurance that monitors users? driving habits and offers helpful tips.

Subaru is attempting to make consumers feel less stressed about driving by tapping into mobile technology to provide easily accessible tools that may help reduce insurance premiums. Drivers who opt to download the Liberty Mutual RightTrack in-vehicle app will receive real-time driving assessments and tips to improve their performance behind the wheel, which could culminate in auto insurance savings.

?Liberty Mutual Insurance is excited to be using new connected car technology to make it easier for customers to become safer drivers while saving money on their auto insurance,? said Jeff Wright, vice president of usage-based insurance at Liberty Mutual Insurance, Boston. ?To reward consumers embracing this new technology, Liberty Mutual is excited to announce new mobile offerings as part of our RightTrack usage-based insurance program to provide additional savings and benefits to our customers.

?Where available, Liberty Mutual customers will soon be able to take advantage of RightTrack?s new mobile offerings without a plug-in device but with the ease of downloading an app on their smartphone or directly through their vehicle through the partnership with Subaru,? he said.

?But RightTrack mobile offerings are not just for Subaru drivers. Through our new mobile option (currently available in Michigan and Indiana), customers can now benefit through a free app on their smartphone without the use of a plug-in device to receive RightTrack savings.?

Opening doors for mobile
Liberty Mutual Insurance and Subaru?s collaboration is designed to make consumers consider the real-time feedback to help them be safer while on the road, while also offering ways to save money on auto insurance plans. With car connectivity poised to reach its peak in 2016, drivers can expect to see more types of these partnerships roll out.

The Liberty Mutual app will be accessible on Subaru Starlink?s cloud platform, which bridges the gap between vehicles and smartphones. Users may leverage the app to monitor driving behavior, ask for trip reports and receive tips on being a safer driver.

Consumers will be presented with a driving assessment after each journey, containing a report on potentially-problematic actions, such as hard braking or harsh acceleration. Each individual?s performance will depend on whether he or she is eligible to save via Liberty Mutual?s RightTrack program, which enables customers to pay less on insurance according to their driving habits.

Additionally, Subaru owners could also qualify for more discounts through the insurance marketer?s affinity program, of which Subaru is a partner.

All 2016 Subaru models with Starlink technology will be compatible with the mobile platform.

?By incorporating these new mobile offerings, we are able to streamline and make it easier for customers to save on their insurance while learning safer driving habits,? Mr. Wright said.

A new digital wave
While many consumers have responded positively to the array of smartphone-enabled features now embedded within in-vehicle technology, such as weather alerts, it is likely that the advent of insurance-based tools will receive the same enthusiasm.

Car connectivity has experienced significant traction over the past few months, as have various driver feedback tools on mobile.

State Farm Insurance is helping driver education instructors stay organized with a new mobile application that manages student records, driving data and trip scores to monitor progress for learners behind the wheel (see story).

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company is ramping up its connected car initiatives with a complementary mobile app for the 2017 Escape SUV, the first model to receive the brand's Sync Connect treatment (see story).

?As customers continue to adopt mobile in multiple facets of their lives, these new technologies highlight Liberty Mutual?s extensive experience and reach in usage-based insurance to bring savings to consumers in new, innovative ways ? especially on their mobile devices,? Mr. Wright said.