Hyundai to launch vehicle infotainment system with Microsoft
By GREG MIGLIORE
Ford is about to lose its monopoly on the technology that powers its cutting-edge infotainment system, Sync, in North America.
Hyundai has signed a deal with software giant Microsoft to jointly develop the next generation of in-car infotainment systems, based on the Microsoft Auto software platform.
It will launch in North America in 2010 and move to Asian and European markets. The deal was announced on Tuesday.
The technology, similar to Ford’s Sync, will include voice-controlled connectivity for mobile devices, and will expand into navigation and multimedia devices.
Sync has been a powerful marketing tool for Ford, which features the technology prominently in many of its ads and has installed it as standard equipment in a wide range of vehicles.
Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft’s auto unit, told AutoWeek on March 31 that Ford’s exclusivity clause for the technology behind Sync expires in North America at the end of this year, and had hinted others were likely to pick up on the technology.
“They’re not going to be the only ones in the market forever,” Thall said at the time.
But with the technology already in its vehicles, Ford has a leg up on competitors. It plans to try to stay ahead by adding more features to Sync, including an emergency calling function, 911 Assist, and a vehicle checkup feature this fall.
Other suppliers, including Alpine and Continental, are also working on their own versions of the technology, Thall said.
Though Ford is the only automaker to use Microsoft Auto in North America, Fiat uses it in Europe and South America.
Terms of the Microsoft/Hyundai deal were not announced.
The software giant said the agreement with Hyundai increases its presence in Asia. In a related announcement, the two companies said they had reached an agreement to establish an automotive information technology center to promote opportunities for Korean software and device vendors around the world.