LOS ANGELES -- Honda Motor Co. 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. Honda says the system's content will include Internet radio stations, podcasts, audiobooks, audible Facebook or Twitter updates, and local restaurant listings.
Honda unveiled the system today.
Competitors, including Ford, Toyota and Hyundai, already have in-car connectivity systems on the market and in some cases have offered them for years. Until now, Honda has been a high-profile holdout in launching a unique, branded system to manage in-car Internet-based content.
The HondaLink system will bring the automaker in line with competitors when it launches first on the 2013 Accord and later on the 2013 Crosstour.
HondaLink's content is controlled with a downloadable HondaLink smartphone application. With the app, users can select Internet radio stations and other content in a list of presets they want to access in the car.
When behind the wheel, the HondaLink system displays preset Internet radio stations and other apps in a list on the vehicle's display. The driver operates the system by using controls mounted on the center stack audio head or steering wheel or by voice command, without using the smartphone itself.
The idea is for customers to select the content they want before getting into the car. Once behind the wheel, drivers can access Internet content using HondaLink without touching their smartphones.
"Smartphones have become so integral to people's lives that they are using them in vehicles," said Charles Koch, manager of new business development for American Honda. "The challenge is to enable the benefits of these devices without contributing to visual or manual driver distraction."
Unlike subscription-based services, such as GM's OnStar and Hyundai's BlueLink, HondaLink is free. Also unlike those systems, which rely on telematics and connectivity hardware installed in the car, HondaLink relies on the cellular connections of a driver's smartphone to access the infotainment content.
Honda appears to be positioning the system as a premium option.
Spokeswoman Alicia Jones said the HondaLink system will be available as an option on higher-end trim levels of the 2013 Accord, though she declined to discuss pricing.
