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Swedish truck maker Scania must share car data, such as vehicle identification numbers, with repair shops and parts distributors, Europe’s top court said on Thursday in a ruling that could provide a boost for the latter looking to tap a market worth billions of euros.
Car services companies have long lobbied for EU laws to ensure fair access to vehicle data, pitting them against carmakers seeking to generate revenue from software products and subscription services driven by data which covers everything from driving habits to fuel consumption and tire wear.
Scania found itself in the dock after a German trade association for motor vehicle parts sued the company in a German court for withholding vehicle identification numbers on the basis that these constituted personal data and thus subject to EU privacy rules.
Businesses Criticize New EU Data Rules, Saying They Could Hinder Data Flow
The German court subsequently sought advice from the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) which sided with the German trade body.
“Car manufacturers are required to provide access to all vehicle repair and maintenance information,” EU judges said.
“Even where vehicle identification numbers are to be classified as personal data, the General Data Protection Regulation does not preclude car manufacturers from being obliged to make them available to independent operators,” they said.
The vehicle data tussle between carmakers and insurers, leasing companies and car services firms underscores the huge potential of the connected car market, which consultancy Fortune Business Insights says could grow to between 250 billion euros and 400 billion euros ($267 billion-$427 billion) by 2030.
Data ownership, however, is not clearly defined in EU law, which has triggered the current dispute between carmakers and those who want to access it.
The European Commission had originally planned to adopt rules on how the data should be shared in the second quarter of this year, according to its agenda, but has yet to come up with a legislative proposal.
The case is C-319/22 Gesamtverband Autoteile-Handel (Access to information on vehicles).
($1 = 0.9361 euros)
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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