(c)iStock.com/tomeng

Japanese automotive manufacturer Mazda has become a gold member of the Linux Foundation, paving the way for further progress in the connected car space.

The automaker is set to play a role in the growing open source software stack for the connected car, thereby enhancing the relationship between vehicles and people through the development of its new-generation car connectivity system. The automaker also recently became a member of Automotive Grade Linux, a Linux Foundation...

(c)iStock.com/filo

The race to bring driverless cars to our roads is in full swing. The automotive and technology industries are vying to be the first to market, while Google will tell you that it has driverless cars and that this technology is already possible. This may be the case on a smaller scale for cars that are connected on a Google metro, but this cannot yet be reflected on a mainstream level.

To make the driverless car a reality for the mass market, we need to understand how sensors, compute, and...

(c)iStock.com/narvikk

Automotive security experts Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) argue that three in four cars shipped in 2020 will come with integrated connectivity.

G&D anticipates registrations of vehicles in 2020 to total 92 million, of which close to 69 million (75%) will carry integrated connectivity. Scotiabank argues that close to 70 million passenger cars were registered in 2014, of which 10% were equipped with connectivity. By 2020, 1.1 billion vehicles are expected to be on the road, of...

(c)iStock.com/dogayusufdokdok

Automotive giant Toyota is planning to install a data communication module into many of its vehicles.

The company is also weighing the use of satellite communications, including high capacity satellites that provide higher data transfer rates than traditional satellite technologies. Conventional satellites need a “dish” antenna on the ground.

As a result, Toyota showcased a research vehicle based on the Mirai fuel cell vehicle that featured satellite communications...

Picture credit: HARMAN

HARMAN has launched what it calls the Life Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution (LIVS), with a view to bringing together separate connectvitiy and operational functions under a new automotive computing platform.

LIVS is an end-to-end system that offers adaptable and personal solutions in the car. The company will showcase the technology on the latest Rinspeed concept car, called Etos.

LIVS has the potential to transform the driving experience, HARMAN claims, and the Etos features...

(c)iStock.com/VanderWolf-Images

Automotive giant Ford is launching the Automotive Wearables Experience laboratory in Michigan aiming to assess the potential of wearables and connected car technologies.

Gary Strumolo, global manager for vehicle design and infotronics, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, said: “As more consumers embrace smart watches, glasses and fitness bands, we hope to develop future applications that work with those devices to enhance in-car functionality and driver...

(c)iStock.com/RiverNorthPhotography

AT&T has announced an extension to its exclusive connected car agreement with BMW. The agreement, in place since 2008, has seen AT&T back BMW's ConnectedDrive services and apps. However, the scope of the new agreement will now also include “infotainment” features such as a Wi-Fi hot spot.

The new agreement will see customers, of the all-new BMW 7 Series, being presented with an alternative of a Wi-Fi hot spot running on AT&T's 4G LTE network. A...

(c)iStock.com/Maxiphoto

Connected car software provider Vinli has announced Vinli Home Connect, which aims to integrate connected home platforms with the connected car.

Regular readers of this publication will recognise Vinli after the startup smashed its Indiegogo campaign efforts for making dumb cars smarter through a $99 device back in June. The Vinli on-board platform and device can be used...

(c)iStock.com/WendellandCarolyn

The past year has seen significant and interesting progress in the sphere of car connectivity, which is becoming increasingly complex and more commonplace. This is being driven, in-part by consumer expectation for access to the internet wherever they are, and by the introduction of new regulations which is governing the implementation of technology, as the clever use of the web breaks down further barriers to communication.

During recent months, the march of Apple and their...

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/adrian825)

The introduction of Automotive Ethernet would significantly reduce vehicle weight, and better manage the complex transfer of data within connected vehicles according to Ninad Deshpande, a specialist in Open Technologies at B&R Industrial Automation.

In a speech during the Automotive Megatrends conference in India, Deshpande said the introduction of Ethernet in the automobile...