HARMAN (NYSE: HAR), the premier connected technologies company for the automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced an Aftermarket Connected Automotive Platform that can support connected applications and transform any existing vehicle into a smart connected car, including those lacking pre-installed connectivity capabilities. The new solution will be available to automotive OEMs, dealers, specialty automotive retailers and mobile carriers.
“We, at BMW Accessories, are looking for solutions that can deliver sophisticated smart applications to our existing cars. We would like to offer our customers advanced connected services and new functionalities, enhancing, for example, a used BMW with smart, connected BMW features. The HARMAN solution is very promising – it can help us offer new customer benefits to existing car drivers,” said Ravi Gandhi, head of product management, Electric, CE & eMobility Accessories, for BMW Group.
The HARMAN Aftermarket Connected Automotive Platform will seamlessly integrate into the car via automotive interfaces. Designed with a high-performance processor, robust security and a variety of fast connectivity methods, the platform will host a suite of connected applications for:
- Enterprise Customers: Leveraging the cloud-based HARMAN Ignite Platform to easily upgrade fleets of vehicles with management services, over-the-air (OTA) updates, security, remote diagnostics and maintenance scheduling
- End-users: Easily adding advanced smartphone-enabled applications including navigation, multimedia (for example AHA Radio), Wi-Fi hotspots, remote car controls and car tracking capabilities
The HARMAN Aftermarket Connected Automotive Platform will be delivered in two hardware versions:
- A pluggable hardware module for the OBD-II port
- An integrated hardware module for the automotive CAN bus
The pluggable product will take the form of an OBD-II dongle and can be easily installed by a dealer or end-user. The integrated version will interface with the automotive CAN bus and require professional installation by an automotive OEM, dealer or aftermarket customizer. In both cases, the seamless software integration with the vehicle system will allow the device to securely monitor and control vehicle features and functions. It will support various connectivity mechanisms including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular access via 4G/LTE, as well as sensors that enable sophisticated applications.
“Today more than 50 percent of cars on the road lack integrated connectivity features. The HARMAN aftermarket hardware platform will transform the automotive industry by enabling people to easily and affordably take old and existing vehicles, and turn them into smart cars of the future,” said Sanjay Dhawan, president of HARMAN Connected Services. “The result is a platform that enables enterprises and end-users to benefit from endless smart connected applications and features through a simple aftermarket upgrade.”
The HARMAN Aftermarket Connected Automotive Platform will be available in the global market starting in the third quarter of 2017.
