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Toyota-Ford collaboration focuses on sharing safe telematics system

Toyota Motor?s deal with Ford Motor to explore integration of the Detroit car brand?s smartphone infotainment technology in Toyota vehicles aims to find smarter connectivity systems for satisfying drivers who want access to a host of in-car mobile applications.

The announcement that Toyota, the world's top automaker by sales, could adapt Ford?s SmartDeviceLink (SDL) technology in future Toyota and Lexus vehicles builds on a 2011 Toyota and Ford collaboration on in-car telematics standards aimed at providing a safer and more convenient driving experience. The agreement comes as Apple?s CarPlay and Google?s Android Auto bolster their presence across numerous vehicle brands in providing access to drivers? favorite navigation, contacts, messaging and streaming entertainment apps.

?It?s not meant as a challenge to Apple and Google,? Cindy Knight, public affairs manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, said of the deal. ?The framework of the SDL is the same as CarPlay and AndroidAuto in the sense that they enable smartphone apps to connect to in-car devices.  

?Additionally, the SDL enables graphic design, interface and apps to be safely used in a way which fits in-car input/output device specifications,? she said.

Standardizing system
Toyota will collaborate with Livio, a unit of Ford that maintains SDL technology. Neither company will use SDL exclusively. 

?We will discuss concrete collaborative development structure and governance systems later,? Ms. Knight said.

Android Auto in General Motors' Chevrolet.

If SDL were to become widely accepted in the market, Toyota customers would be able to use a standardized system and enjoy less expensive and familiar apps. App developers could expect more efficient app development and larger business scale.

?From an automaker?s point of view, apps can be developed more efficiently and quickly,? Ms. Knight said. ?Automakers can meet customers? needs more quickly by introducing safe and familiar apps.?

SDL is an open source platform created to facilitate smartphone applications including entertainment, traffic, parking and other data from the Internet for use in in-car infotainment systems.

Those apps can be accessed using voice recognition, display screens and dashboard controls.

Besides its seamless ease of operation, the benefits of SDL technology include the ability for developers to design an app only one time, yet have it work across multiple infotainment systems. 

This capability saves development time and allows apps to be introduced more quickly to a wider audience, Toyota said. 

The agreement continues automakers? moves to integrate more of the features smartphone users rely on most within dashboard technology as the growth of smartphones leads to demands for smoother integration between phones and vehicles. 
 
Last week, General Motors? Chevrolet brand said it would offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility in 14 vehicles for the 2016 model year to satisfy customer demand for in-car services such as navigation, messaging and streaming entertainment while supporting GM?s ambition to become a leader on mobile.

Claiming to offer the services in more vehicles than any other car brand, Chevrolet said its MyLink system will let owners access both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

Android Auto is built on Google Maps, Google Now and the ability to talk to Google, as well as an audio and messaging app ecosystem that includes WhatsApp, Skype, Google Play Music, Spotify and podcast players. 

With Apple CarPlay, drivers can put their favorite iPhone features on the vehicle?s display to make calls, send and receive messages and listen to music right from the touchscreen or by voice via Siri. 

Apple CarPlay supported apps include Phone, Messages, Maps, Music and compatible third-party apps. Android Auto requires a phone running the Android Lollipop 5.0 operating system or above, while Apple CarPlay requires an iPhone 5 or later.

Technology experience
Ford is focusing on marketing vehicles not just as transportation but as a technology experience to attract millennial buyers who regard cars as an expensive burden.

Apple's CarPlay in a Chevrolet.

It aims to enable the mobile technology experiences that are important to millennials through Sync AppLink, which provides for the seamless command and control of smartphone apps through voice recognition. 

?The evolution of the in-car app market is proof that cross-device now includes vehicles,? said Eric Mugnier, senior vice president of M&C Saatchi Mobile, New York. ?SDL as part of the Internet of Things contributes to the growth of omni-present connectivity.?

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York