Telematics

Big Harman contract hints at consolidation of suppliers

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 27, 2012
General Motors has relied on multiple hardware suppliers for its vehicle infotainment systems for its four North American brands. But that may be changing. GM recently signed a $900 million contract for infotainment hardware with audio systems maker Harman International Industries.... Read More »

 

Farley: We'll fix MyFord problems

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 27, 2012
Unfazed by Consumer Reports' latest scathing criticisms of the MyFord Touch system, Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s global marketing chief, said the company will not shy away from its commitment to industry-leading technology.... Read More »

 

Late to the party, GM brands push hard on infotainment

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 27, 2012
General Motors is rolling out infotainment systems this summer at both ends of its model lineup: one for pricey Cadillacs and another in a $13,000 Chevolet Spark mincar. Those systems -- with different names, product-development teams and suppliers -- illustrate the challenges inherent in GM's budding infotainment strategy.... Read More »

 

MyFord Touch blasted by Consumer Reports

4:06 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 22, 2012
Consumer Reports' online magazine is firing more strong words at Ford in a scathing blog written about MyFord Touch. In the blog, published today and titled “Why the MyFord Touch Control System Stinks,” author Eric Evarts criticizes Ford's interactive infotainment system.... Read More »

 

Sirius XM Radio tops 50 million factory vehicle installations

3:59 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 22, 2012
Sirius XM Radio said today it had passed 50 million factory vehicle installations of its satellite radios, and the company expects to top 100 million installations by 2018. SiriusXM will be installed in nearly 70 percent of new vehicles sold in the United States this year, the company said in a statement.... Read More »

 

GM redesigns OnStar buttons in 2013 vehicles

3:47 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 20, 2012
General Motors has redesigned the OnStar buttons in 2013 vehicles to better reflect software updates, the company said today. The voice command button -- once called the hands-free calling button -- now has a general speech icon instead of a white phone with a circle around it.... Read More »

 

Q&A: DINESH PALIWAL AND SACHIN LAWANDE, HARMAN INTERNATIONAL

Harman welcomes Apple into automotive infotainment

2:25 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 7, 2012
With a $16 billion book of future business, Harman International Industries Inc. is on a tear. In April, the company said it had signed a $2.2 billion contract to provide infotainment systems to BMW AG through 2018. Special Correspondent David Sedgwick discussed Harman's prospects with CEO Dinesh Paliwal and Sachin Lawande, co-president of the lifestyle and infotainment divisions.... Read More »

 

JESSE SNYDER

Spare or Goo? A Texas-sized test

11:13 am U.S. ET | Aug. 7, 2012
To spare or not to spare. If that's the question for modern automobile designers, whether to include a spare tire or save on weight and packaging, I want a vote.... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Subscription fees won't deliver connected cars

5:05 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
The auto industry may dream of one day having all automobiles connected to one another, but it won't get there if consumers have to pay the bill each month, industry officials argued here today.... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Why vehicle-to-vehicle communications will improve driver safety

5:39 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
Automakers and suppliers believe vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems someday will radically reduce the frequency of accidents. But if it takes as much as a decade or so to equip enough vehicles to make a dent in the accident rate, how do you convince car buyers that such a system is worth the cost?... Read More »

 

2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS

Chrysler's new infotainment system connects without smartphone

2:00 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
New versions of Chrysler Group's Uconnect infotainment system this fall will, for the first time, connect to a cellular network in the United States without an onboard smartphone. The vehicles will use the Sprint network in a partnership with Chrysler.... Read More »

 

STATE OF SUPPLIERS

Feds test vehicle-to-vehicle safety net

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
This month, the industry will start finding out whether the Next Big Thing in safety is vehicle-to-vehicle communications. In Ann Arbor, Mich., a consortium of automakers, suppliers, federal officials and academics are preparing to launch a fleet of 3,000 vehicles equipped with transmitters that will broadcast their locations to one another.... Read More »

 

STATE OF SUPPLIERS

Merging smartphone, autos is a slow process

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
General Motors took about a year to scout offerings and develop, test and integrate BringGo, an application that will display maps on the Chevy MyLink infotainment system's touch screen. That's lightning fast in the automotive realm -- and glacial by app developer standards.... Read More »

 

STATE OF SUPPLIERS

How supplier landed smartphone app in Ford vehicles

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 6, 2012
Among automotive suppliers, Telenav Inc. is part of an exclusive club. The Silicon Valley developer of navigation software is one of about a dozen companies whose smartphone applications have been approved for use with Ford Motor Co.'s onboard infotainment systems.... Read More »

 

Honda plans smartphone-based Web connectivity on new Accord

4:03 pm U.S. ET | July 18, 2012
Honda will launch a new connectivity system this fall on the redesigned 2013 Accord that will enable drivers to access Internet content in the car via a smartphone. The system is called HondaLink. It relies on the driver's iPhone or Android smartphone to connect to the Internet.... Read More »

 

GM to allow drivers with OnStar to rent their own cars

9:52 am U.S. ET | July 17, 2012
General Motors drivers can rent out their under-used vehicles by using an OnStar service that allows potential renters to unlock the doors using their smart phones.... Read More »

 

General Motors' $600 million annual IT contract with HP at risk

9:51 pm U.S. ET | July 13, 2012
General Motors' decision to bring much of its information technology work in-house threatens an IT service deal worth some $600 million a year to Hewlett Packard, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.... Read More »

 

In-vehicle Siri has dealers, consumers buzzing

2:46 pm U.S. ET | June 25, 2012
Apple has revolutionized the music, mobile phone, computer and tablet markets. Now, some dealers and drivers expect the company to do the same for in-car telecommunications. These dealers and iPhone users are enthusiastic about having Siri, Apple's voice-command software introduced last year on the iPhone 4S, in vehicles.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

How to keep young drivers' hands on the wheel

1:42 pm U.S. ET | June 21, 2012
Distracted driving is a plague upon our highways -- an indiscriminate disease that can destroy the lives of those that do it and the innocent bystanders they hit.... Read More »

 

NICK BUNKLEY

Seeking more clarity with that pesky check-engine light

3:17 pm U.S. ET | June 20, 2012
My check-engine light came on the other day. Or, as it should really be called, the “your car knows exactly what's wrong but it refuses to tell you anything useful because it enjoys watching you panic” light.... Read More »

 

DAVID SEDGWICK

Supplier seeks solution to dated computer chips

2:00 am U.S. ET | June 13, 2012
For automakers, one of the biggest headaches posed by infotainment systems is instant obsolescence. The auto industry, with its stately three- to five-year product cycles, simply can't keep up with the rapid product cycles of smartphone makers. But that might be changing.... Read More »

 

Apple's Siri gets behind the wheel -- who wins and loses?

7:56 am U.S. ET | June 13, 2012
Apple is taking Siri on the road. As the consumer device maker doubles down on its popular voice-enabled personal assistant software, it is looking at another large market to drive rapid adoption: cars.... Read More »

 

Harman won't be affected by Apple's move into autos, CEO says

4:30 pm U.S. ET | June 13, 2012
Harman International Industries said it will not be affected by Apple's plans to offer voice activated real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation in cars.... Read More »

 

CHRISTINA ROGERS

Apple ratchets up auto tech competition, safety debate

2:59 pm U.S. ET | June 12, 2012
Not to be outdone by Microsoft or Google, tech-giant Apple said Monday it was making its move into the auto industry. Company execs, speaking at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, said they are working with eight automakers to make Apple’s iPhone-based voice technology, Siri, available behind the wheel.... Read More »

 

Supplier seeks solution to dated computer chips

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012
For automakers, one of the biggest headaches posed by infotainment systems is instant obsolescence. The auto industry, with its stately three- to five-year product cycles, simply can't keep up with the shootout-at-the-O.K.-Corral product cycles of smartphone makers. But that might be changing.... Read More »