All heads were nodding at the importance of investing heav- ily in mobile strategies, technology partnerships, supply chains, and electronic components. What’s coming to market is a mass of hardware, software, and services to help vehicle owners com- municate, stay informed, be entertained, and safely navigate to their destinations. Apple, Google, and Nokia know this well, and they are chomping at the bit to have their operating systems installed in future vehicles by all automotive OEMs. While smartphones and the smartphone app ecosystem have made a big push since 2007, vehicle manufacturers are taking initial steps to integrate the new big brand technologies. “We must keep an eye on innovation and decide when to
join, at just the right moment. It’s a balance to bring the best experience for customers and not over-deliver. Then, custom- ers have to use it. We provide the value, and they will judge us with their wallets and usability,” said Visteon Director Tim Yerdon. The aftermarket retail world may want to heed these develop- ments. What was in labs and concept vehicles just a few months ago will be rolling off the production lines to the masses, start- ing this summer.
Apple-Flavored Automotive Just as car companies disrupted the horse and buggy industry a century ago, IT companies have become the new agitator for innovation on the road. Apple is aggressively driving itself into the auto industry with its recent invention, called CarPlay. Ever since its debut at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, cyberspace head- lines have been buzzing about Apple. Automakers and suppliers will deliver a rebadged “iOS in the Car”, both in the form of aftermarket products and factory-installed options in new vehi- cle models.
Apple CarPlay is a system that integrates vehicle digital systems with an iPhone, as an update to iOS 7, working with Lightning-en- abled iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5. Using Siri voice control, a touch screen or knobs, CarPlay allows users to make a call, read text messages, listen to music, access maps, watch videos, and utilize third party apps. Cur- rently, it supports only a few apps, including Podcasts, Beats Music, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and Stitcher, but more supported apps are coming soon. Eager consumers can have it in their current vehicles as soon as early summer. Pioneer has one of the first aftermarket in-dash multimedia systems to provide Apple CarPlay via a firm- ware update to five 2014 NEX receivers. Suggested retail price ranges from $750 $1,400 at authorized dealers. With patience and more money, consumers can obtain a fac-
tory-installed unit in new models coming out later this year from Ferrari, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. Luxury comes first. The industry’s first car with an integrated,
factory-installed Apple CarPlay is the Ferrari FF, priced at nearly $300K. The less expensive new 2015 Ferrari California T will also have the feature at a later release date.
Tis chart, provided by IHS Automotive, reveals the rela- tionships between OEMs and the three major players in the connected car market, Google, Apple and Mirrorlink. Many eyes are on GM, Honda and Hyundai, because they are the only three OEMs that currently are working with Apple, Google and MirrorLink.
The all-new 2015 Volvo XC90 SUV, available by the end of the
year, will offer CarPlay, in what the automaker describes as a perfect match of Apple’s clean user interface with Scandinavian vehicle design. “iPhone users will feel completely at home. We have created a wholly-integrated user experience in our large portrait-oriented touch screen that takes the in-car mobile device experience to a new level,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. Mercedes-Benz demoed a proof-of-concept integration of Apple CarPlay in Geneva and recently premiered the C-Class with its “Mercedes Connect Me” services and high-end infotain- ment system COMAND Online, compatible with most of the current smartphones. Later in the 2015 model year, the Hyundai Sonata will feature
CarPlay. According to the automaker, more than 30 percent of those models sold will be equipped with navigation and CarPlay. Apple announced its partnerships with many other automak-
ers that are expected to provide factory-installed CarPlay units in the future: BMW Group, Ford, General Motors (GM), Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota Motor Corp. Typical of future product announcements, the listed automak-
ers have declined to provide vehicle model details for CarPlay at this time.
Google on the Move You’d think the only thing Google and cars have in common is a power source called an engine, operating in completely dif- ferent ways. But with the Android phone and a suite of virtual maps and navigation apps—Google Street View, Google Places,
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