The Connected Car Expo premiered its CTIA Super Mobility Week presence. There were several announcements and connected car related news. AT&T, GM and Ford had starring roles.
AT&T revealed its study that showed buyers will change brands for a better connected car.
AT&T Drive Studio showed a haptic steering wheel that vibrates on either side to suggest the way to turn the wheel based on information from the navigation system.
GM’s Mary Chan said that GM is concentrating less on allowing an open system of apps in it infotainment system and depending more upon CarPlay and Android Auto for smartphone apps that are not integrated into the vehicle. Music streaming apps already available thorugh iTunes and Google Play will be more easily deployed with Android Auto or CarPly. GM will continue to develop its OnStar RemoteLink app which has surpassed 1 million.
10 finalists from the Ford App Challenge will move on to the Connected Car-Connected City App Pursuit Finals which will be held during the Connected Car Expo at the LA Auto Show. Each of the 10 finalists received a Ford AppLink TDK. The winning teams have 9 weeks in which to further innovate and refine each app. We have contacted Connected Car Expo reps to find out what apps won. The original call for entries requested solutions to Los Angeles’ parking quagmire.
CTIA Hot for the Holidays Winners in the Connected Car Category are:
- QNX Software Systems, Audi Virtual Cockpit in 2015 Audi TT
- AT&T, Audi A3 Connected by AT&T
- Cobra Electronics, Drive HD Dash Cam by Cobra – Cobra CDR 900
Although analysts such as Sascha Segan panned Super Mobility Week for lack of attendance by major wireless players, it is the first year that connected cars have gotten excellent coverage.