Hyundai to Use Windows Automotive Software
Posted on: Wednesday, 7 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
By John R. Quain
Microsoft announced Tuesday in Seoul that it would develop a version of its software Windows Automotive for Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group.
Microsoft already has a deal with Ford Motor for Microsoft's Sync system, which uses voice technology to operate cellphones and play digital music.
With Ford and Hyundai as customers, Microsoft's software could potentially be put into more than eight million vehicles worldwide each year. Its competitors include OnStar, from General Motors; Johnson Controls; and QNX Software Systems, from Harman International. Systems based on Microsoft Automotive are available in Fiat Group vehicles in Europe and South America, as well as in 12 Ford models in North America.
Windows Automotive will first appear in Hyundai vehicles in North America in 2010, said Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft's automotive business unit. Subsequent versions will give drivers voice control over navigation systems and video entertainment, in addition to cellphones and digital music players.
The Hyundai deal suggests that Microsoft may be achieving the critical mass it needs to encourage other companies to create links to its auto software, in much the same way that third parties create software applications to run on Windows-based computers.
With millions of potential users, Global Positioning System navigation device makers like TomTom and Garmin may start developing software for their products specifically for Ford and Hyundai.
Referring to Microsoft, Phil Magney, an analyst at Telematics Research Group, said "It makes it one of the top operating systems that automakers must consider in developing their infotainment systems."
The terms of the deal were not announced, but Magney noted that automotive systems revenue was tiny compared with other Microsoft businesses.
Source: International Herald Tribune
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