With 5th-gen Uconnect, FCA aims to stay in front

DETROIT — This year's rollout of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' latest Uconnect connected-vehicle platform will highlight an incongruous dynamic in the automaker's technology portfolio.

While FCA has lagged rivals in areas such as electrification and vehicle autonomy, the company by many accounts has been able to master one of the industry's most frustrating stumbling blocks: infotainment.

These in-vehicle systems have been a thorn in the side of automakers that have been routinely rapped in consumer surveys for annoyances from voice-recognition issues to Bluetooth connectivity hiccups. FCA's Uconnect, meanwhile, has been well received for its accessibility.

A key challenge for FCA was to build on that track record and avoid setbacks with the platform's fifth generation, which is based on the Android operating system.

Vince Galante, FCA's chief designer of user experience, described Uconnect 5 as an "evolution of what we have today."

"We didn't completely blow it up," he said.

At a preview of the technology at its U.S. headquarters in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Mich., last week, FCA said Uconnect 5 will debut in a 2021 model this year. The next version will have processing speeds five times faster than its predecessor. In addition, a new feature will enable two Bluetooth phones to connect simultaneously.

This will aid users who carry multiple phones, FCA said. It will also allow passengers to interact with Uconnect along with the driver.

Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, believes FCA's methodical approach to electrification was astute.

"It's a better business case to have a better infotainment system than to have a modern hybrid or electric vehicle," he said.

"On the EV side, they're slow because there's no money to be made, and that makes sense [from] a profitability standpoint. But when you get to infotainment, you need that for a modern car," Fiorani told Automotive News. "If you don't have a good infotainment system, then you get docked from all the ratings, magazines and websites where they just crucify you if you can't get to your radio or your navigation, or all the other features that you want really quickly and without taking your attention off the road. Consumer Reports isn't going to ding you if you don't have an EV. "

In a highly competitive industry where it's difficult to stand out, FCA has been able to build a strong reputation with Uconnect, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights for Edmunds.

"By having the 12-inch screen available on the Ram, you're making a name for yourself," Caldwell said. "By doing well in infotainment and then also having the large screen gives you a little bit of synergy in that area, which I think is important for FCA — considering technology, I don't think, has ever been one of their unique selling points or core values."

To get infotainment right, there has to be "perfect balance" of dedicated buttons as well as "virtual and customizable touch screen controls" to handle vehicle functions, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book.

Brauer said FCA nailed those traits early on, something not all automakers have pulled off. Brauer believes FCA and Audi have the most intuitive infotainment platforms.

"Most automakers are first and foremost about chassis design or engine design or even managing suppliers, retail distribution and advertising and marketing," Brauer said. "But I think high-tech interfaces have been a whole other area for them to try to figure out."

FCA said user-experience designers created backdrops for Uconnect 5 to match interior colors and themes. Screen graphics, the company said, will be specific to brand and trim levels.

FCA, showing its dedication to in-vehicle technology, has fortified its design team in that space in recent years, going from five or so people to nearly 30, said Ralph Gilles, FCA's head of design. The company has hired video game designers and those with human-machine interface expertise from Carnegie Mellon University.

Customers with Amazon Alexa-enabled devices at home can ask the virtual assistant to start their cars and lock and unlock doors. Uconnect 5 also brings Alexa into the vehicle with capabilities that allow occupants to ask the assistant to play music, podcasts and audiobooks.

During last week's briefing, Gilles said the platform "opened up a whole new world of opportunities for us, so we actually had to reconfigure how we're set up in the design office to deal with this new opportunity and challenge."

He said FCA "had to hire different people because the system that you're going to experience in a few months is more devicelike than it is automotive."