App store integrated in the infotainment for Volkswagen Group brands
Unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, it will debut initially on Audi models and then be available to all Volkswagen Group brands. It will support both the Group's proprietary and third-party apps, creating a new digital experience.
CARIAD, the Volkswagen Group's software company, unveiled a new uniform app store for all Group brands at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Audi will lead the way by implementing it first on some models, starting from July 2023; each brand will have its own exclusive apps, which will be available in the store along with third-party apps.
CARIAD is working with HARMAN (a Samsung company) to create an open ecosystem for apps to be implemented in infotainment systems, and many partners are already working on this store. Whether it's music and video, games, navigation, parking and charging, weather or remote work apps, the store will provide useful and popular apps, turning the car into a smart travel companion.
The digital world enters the car
The Volkswagen Group's mobility apps, for example for live traffic light information or navigation, will naturally flow into this ecosystem, and additional services will be offered in the near future. In this way, users will have a car that can constantly improve through frequent updates from both third parties and CARIAD, so this app store marks a very important achievement.
"Our app store is the first milestone of 2023 and is the result of an important collaboration between Audi, CARIAD and HARMAN", explains Dirk Hilgenberg, CARIAD CEO. "We will take the in-car experience to the next level by seamlessly integrating the users' digital world on board. Our app store gives a first glimpse on a completely new infotainment stack and will be part of the 'One.Infotainment' system that will be included in the software of next-generation Audi and Porsche cars".
Audi is pioneering
"Audi will be the first Volkswagen Group brand to introduce the app store on its cars, offering users a new level of digital experience by seamlessly connecting their Audi to their digital life. CARIAD has provided a scalable solution for the entire Group, which we at Audi customized for our products. This ability as a team to scale software solutions for different market segments represents an important milestone in our roadmap", says Oliver Hoffmann, CTO of Audi.
The first Audi models to receive the new app store will be the A4, A5, Q5, A6, A7, A8, Q8 e-tron and e-tron GT in Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico and overseas markets. Subsequently, the app store will be rolled out to further models and regions, as well as to other Volkswagen Group brands.
Ignite Store
HARMAN, with whom CARIAD has partnered for the app store, is a company specialised in electronics technology and focused on designing automotive consumer experiences. CARIAD's app store integrates with HARMAN's Ignite Store, an infotainment system solution that allows Volkswagen Group brands to maintain control of third-party content, user experience and end-user relationship.
"We are delighted to collaborate with CARIAD on a solution that will usher in a new era of innovation for the automotive industry", explains Huibert Verhoeven, Senior Vice President, Digital Cockpit at HARMAN. "The Ignite Store removes the heavy lifting for third-party developers to adapt their apps to the automotive. At the same time, it allows the Volkswagen Group to maintain control of this important emerging market while providing a premium in-vehicle experience".
Apps of all kinds
The app store provides a wide range of third-party apps dedicated specifically to automotive, as well as existing apps that are adapted to meet automotive requirements. Thanks to the scalable architecture, the developers' work can be used through the app store, and without further modification, on a wide range of Volkswagen Group vehicles.
The app store ensures that the applications in the vehicle meet the high safety requirements of the automotive industry. Of course, third-party developers will be able to update their apps remotely at any time. The list of apps in the CARIAD store will be continuously expanded - those already available include: Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Tidal, Tubes, The Weather Channel, the FRVR gaming platform, Yelp, Stingray Karaoke, TikTok, Parkwhiz, Plugshare, Home Assistant, Vivaldi, and Webex Cisco.
Source: CARIAD
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