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Ford, Toyota, others form alliance to stymie Google, Apple

By Kingsley Jeremiah
06 January 2017   |   3:25 am
Ford and Toyota said that Mazda Motor, PSA Group, Fuji Heavy Industries and Suzuki Motors, have joined their SmartDeviceLink Consortium.

 

Toyota_Landcruiser_1409004537-1418400389Ford Motor and Toyota Motor have formed a consortium with four other automakers to speed the development of auto-industry standards for in-vehicle apps, a step toward preventing Apple and Google from controlling how drivers connect smartphones to their cars and trucks.

Ford and Toyota said that Mazda Motor, PSA Group, Fuji Heavy Industries and Suzuki Motors, have joined their SmartDeviceLink Consortium.

The nonprofit group’s goal is to promote more choice in how smartphones get connected to in-vehicle technologies like dashboard displays and voice recognition, and in other programmings, Ford and Toyota said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Toyota has resisted offering Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto in its vehicles, citing concern that doing so would diminish safety and security. Ford offers them on all its 2017 model vehicles. But the automaker still wants an open-source software platform that all app developers can use as an alternative to those of Google and Apple.

“Encouraging innovation is at the centre of Ford’s decision,” said Doug Van Dagens, Global Director for Ford Connected Vehicles and Services.

Suppliers Elektrobit Automotive, Luxoft Holding and Xevo also joined the consortium. Honda Motor had contemplated the move but wasn’t mentioned in Wednesday’s announcement. Harman, Panasonic, Pioneer and QNX, have signed letters of intent to join, the statement said.

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.

Ford’s version of the SmartDeviceLink technology is already available on five million vehicles globally, and provides drivers with popular apps like Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and AccuWeather.

By enlarging the consortium, the automakers hope to maintain control over how much access infotainment apps have to vehicle data, according to the statement.

“We are excited to collaborate with many auto manufacturers who share our view,” said Shigeki Tomoyama, President of Toyota’s Connected

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