Digital Product Manager · Connected Vehicle Experiences · Data-Driven Strategy

Violet Allmandinger

Automotive product manager with a rare blend of hands-on engineering, Voice of Customer research, and digital product strategy. I translate customer needs and market data into clearly defined product roadmaps — helping global OEMs build connected experiences that grow better over time.

Degrees — Aerospace · Mech. Eng. · MBA

8⁺

Years in Automotive Industry & Engineering

70⁺

Vehicle Apps Personally Evaluated

Digital Product Management

Connected Vehicles

Voice of Customer

Roadmap Strategy

Engineering

Cross-Functional Leadership

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Selected Work

Research & Consulting

J.D. Power · 2025

Mobile Apps Lead & Study Owner — U.S. OEM EV App Report

Owned end-to-end strategy and execution of the flagship EV App benchmark study — defining product vision, evaluation methodology, and go-to-market delivery. Directed assessment of 28 U.S. EV brands and 18 international profiles. Quantified a 2.4-point satisfaction gap between Tesla (7.9/10) and non-Tesla EV apps (5.5/10). Delivered executive readouts translating findings into product roadmap implications for global OEM clients.

"EV owners are telling J.D. Power exactly what they need: reliable performance and connectivity to interact with their vehicles. Top-performing apps deliver fast, consistent remote controls and have desired features. However, most other apps are still closing that gap."

Study OwnerEV AppsGlobal

J.D. Power · 2024–2025

Mobile Apps Lead — U.S. OEM ICE App Benchmark

Led companion study evaluating ICE vehicle app ecosystems across major OEM brands, translating customer needs into feature prioritization decisions. Revealed a critical engagement gap: 80% of owners use their vehicle app, but only 27% identify as frequent users. Identified misaligned OEM investment areas — 83% of owners want security and camera viewing while 72% reject in-app marketplaces. Informed OEM digital product roadmaps toward high-impact, high-satisfaction features.

"Connectivity and speed continue to be the most significant challenges for ICE vehicle apps. Owners want apps that work seamlessly every time, with core features that are easy to access and perform reliably."

Study OwnerICE AppsU.S. Market

J.D. Power · Global

Product Strategy Advisory — Global Automotive Consulting

Serves as product consultant to global OEM leadership teams, translating Voice of Customer data and competitive benchmarks into roadmap and feature prioritization decisions. Advises on EV feature competitiveness, usability gaps, and connected digital ecosystem performance. Manages escalations and influences stakeholders at VP and Director level across North America, Europe, and China.

"Automakers have made improvements in app features, improved response times and fixed connectivity gaps but, to improve customer satisfaction, they need to deliver core features that perform reliably."

OEM AdvisoryRoadmap StrategyC-Suite

Stellantis / FCA · Product Engineering

Product Development Engineer — Stellantis

Contributed to vehicle product development and cross-functional integration during the formation of Stellantis — one of the largest automotive mergers in history. Led aerodynamic performance development, translating wind tunnel and CFD data into clear technical requirements for program leaders. Coordinated across engineering, manufacturing, and program teams in a large-scale matrix organization, successfully launching products under complex timing and cost constraints.

Engineering credibility that most product strategists don't have — built at the intersection of aerodynamics, vehicle systems, and one of the most complex OEM integrations in automotive history.

EngineeringAerodynamicsStellantis/FCA

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Core Capabilities

Areas of Expertise

01 / 06

Connected Vehicle & Digital Product Strategy

Deep expertise in connected vehicle mobile ecosystems, owner behavior, feature adoption, and satisfaction drivers across 70+ personally evaluated vehicle apps spanning global OEM brands.

02 / 06

Voice of Customer & Product Validation

Designs and executes consumer research studies that translate customer needs into technical requirements. Conducts user interviews, behavioral analysis, and product experiments to gather actionable insights.

03 / 06

Product Roadmap & Feature Prioritization

Translates Voice of Customer data, competitive benchmarks, and satisfaction metrics into clearly defined product roadmaps — balancing timing, cost, and feature tradeoffs to guide what gets built.

04 / 06

Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Experienced managing complex stakeholder landscapes across engineering, design, go-to-market, and executive audiences. Seamlessly manages escalations and influences across large matrix organizations.

05 / 06

Engineering Foundation — Hardware & Software

B.S. Aerospace Engineering, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, and MBA — plus hands-on product development at Stellantis/FCA across hardware systems, aerodynamics, and vehicle integration programs.

06 / 06

Data Analysis & Executive Storytelling

Translates complex datasets — behavioral, transactional, and survey-based — into clear strategy documents and executive presentations. Spokesperson for flagship J.D. Power OEM mobile app research.

2023 – Present

J.D. Power

Product Consultant — Mobile Apps Lead

Leads the U.S. OEM EV App and ICE App annual benchmark studies. Serves as public spokesperson on vehicle app satisfaction research. Consults global OEM clients on applying proprietary insights to digital product strategy.

2021 – 2023

J.D. Power

Customer Success Consultant · Senior Analyst

Developed client-facing insights deliverables and supported monthly industry insight calls with VP-level OEM stakeholders across J.D. Power's automotive consulting practice.

2018 – 2021

Stellantis (FCA / PSA)

Product Development Engineer

Contributed to vehicle product engineering during the formation of Stellantis — one of the largest automotive mergers in history. Coordinated across engineering, manufacturing, and program teams in a large-scale matrix organization.

2017

FCA Group

Aerodynamics & Wind Tunnel Engineer

Hands-on aerodynamic performance development and wind tunnel test operations at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

2016

WITTENSTEIN North America

Engineer

Early engineering experience in precision drive systems and manufacturing environments.

Education

Master of Business Administration

Gies College of Business · University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

M.S. Mechanical Engineering

Oakland University

B.S. Aerospace Engineering

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

What Sets Me Apart

Strategic Differentiator

Engineering + MBA + Digital Product Execution

B.S. Aerospace Engineering, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, MBA, and hands-on product development — the technical depth to understand hardware/software tradeoffs and the business acumen to drive strategy.

I Own a Product End-to-End

Not just a contributor — I define product vision, own the roadmap, design methodology, manage stakeholders, and deliver to executive audiences across the full product lifecycle.

Customer Needs → Technical Requirements → Roadmap

I translate Voice of Customer data and behavioral metrics into clearly defined technical requirements — connecting what customers want to what gets prioritized and built.

Proven in a Matrix Organization

Delivered results navigating complex, cross-functional environments — aligning engineering, design, marketing, and executive stakeholders across global organizations.

Unmatched Connected Vehicle Exposure

70+ EV and ICE vehicle apps personally evaluated across global OEMs — rare hands-on domain knowledge in the consumer-facing connected vehicle product space.

Violet Allmandinger

Research & Consulting

Areas of Expertise

Career Timeline

Strategic Differentiator

Let's work together.