Jan 05, 2017 Toyota, Ford, Apps, innovations
Ford and Toyota Motor Companies have announced that they will be forming SmartDeviceLink Consortium, a nonprofit organisation that will manage an open source software platform with the goal of giving consumers more choice in how they connect and control their smartphone apps on the road.
The move was announced in early January in Las Vegas and already Mazda Motor Corporation, PSA Group, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) and Suzuki Motor Corporation have confirmed their membership in the consortium. In addition,Elektrobit, Luxoft, and Xevo have joined as the first supplier members, while Panasonic and Pioneer are amongst those having signed Letters of Intent to join.
According to an article on AutomotiveNews.com: "Toyota first agreed to collaborate with Ford on car telematics systems in 2011. The automakers worry that if CarPlay and Android Auto establish themselves as must-have options, the influence of Apple and Google over the industry will grow."
The automakers say SmartDeviceLink provides consumers easy access to smartphone apps, using voice commands and in-vehicle displays. It benefits suppliers and automakers by providing a uniform standard with which to integrate apps. Developers benefit because they can focus on creating the best experience for customers by integrating one linking solution for use by all participating automakers.
Shigeki Tomoyama, president of Toyota’s Connected Company commented: “Connectivity between smartphones and the vehicle interface is one of the most important connected services. Using SmartDeviceLink, we can provide this service to our customers in a safe and secure manner. We are excited to collaborate with many auto manufacturers and suppliers who share our view.”
The standard will see smartphone app developers seamlessly integrate their app functions with in-vehicle technology such as the vehicle display screen, steering wheel controls and voice recognition. At the same time, developers and automakers working together will contribute improvements to the open source code – increasing the quality and security of the software.
SmartDeviceLink technology is based on Ford's contribution of its AppLink software to the open source community in 2013, which is currently available on more than 5 million vehicles globally.
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