LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Company are forming SmartDeviceLink
Consortium, a nonprofit organization working to manage an open source
software platform with the goal of giving consumers more choice in how
they connect and control their smartphone apps on the road.
Mazda Motor Corporation, PSA Group, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) and
Suzuki Motor Corporation are the first automaker members of the
consortium. Elektrobit, Luxoft, and Xevo join as the first supplier
members. Harman, Panasonic, Pioneer and QNX have signed Letters of
Intent to join.
SmartDeviceLink provides consumers easy access to smartphone apps using
voice commands and in-vehicle displays. Adopting the open source
platform gives automakers and suppliers a uniform standard with which to
integrate apps. Developers benefit because they can focus on creating
the best experience for customers by integrating one linking solution
for use by all participating automakers.
"Encouraging innovation is at the center of Ford's decision to create
SmartDeviceLink, and this consortium is a major step toward that goal,"
said Doug VanDagens, global director, Ford Connected Vehicle and
Services, and a board member of the consortium. "Consumers will win with
new, innovative app experiences from increased collaboration and
developer engagement."
Shigeki Tomoyama, president of Toyota's Connected Company said,
"Connectivity between smartphones and the vehicle interface is one of
the most important connected services. Using SmartDeviceLink, we can
provide this service to our customers in a safe and secure manner. We
are excited to collaborate with many auto manufacturers and suppliers
who share our view."
SmartDeviceLink enables smartphone app developers to seamlessly
integrate their app functions with in-vehicle technology such as the
vehicle display screen, steering wheel controls and voice recognition.
With this new level of integration, drivers enjoy their favorite apps on
the road in an enhanced, user-friendly way.
Consumers also benefit because developers and automakers working
together will contribute improvements to the open source code –
increasing the quality and security of the software.
Industry-wide adoption of SmartDeviceLink is expected to give app
developers broad scale as their innovations could be applied to millions
of vehicles worldwide.
Participating companies and suppliers will be able to deliver user
experiences that meet their individual standards while retaining control
over how much access apps have to vehicle data.
SmartDeviceLink technology is based on Ford's
contribution of its AppLink™ software to the open source
community in 2013. Ford AppLink software is currently available on more
than 5 million vehicles globally.
Toyota plans to commercialize a telematics system using SDL around 2018.
Popular apps such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, AccuWeather and
others are already available to Ford AppLink users.
Livio
will manage the open source project and provide guidance to the
SmartDeviceLink Consortium and its members. Visit SDL
for more information or to apply to the consortium.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford
Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company
based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 62 plants
worldwide, the company's core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing and servicing a full line of Ford cars, trucks
and SUVs, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. To expand its business
model, Ford is aggressively pursuing emerging opportunities with
investments in electrification, autonomy and mobility. Ford provides
financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford and its products and services, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius
and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to advancing mobility
through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 50 years, we've
produced more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we
operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ
more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars
and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80
percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on
the road today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental
organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility
challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support
non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more
places.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
For more information, visit www.smartdevicelink.com
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and
video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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