​​​​​​​​Emergence of Android in Automotive

A major trend in automotive is the market is the adoption of Android Automotive OS . Harman expects Android Automotive OS  to reach a penetration of 60% of the automotive head unit operating system in five years.  There are many reasons for this. Android is a modern operating system, deployed on billions of phones shipped annually.  The phenomenal scale allows high level of investment at Android to maintain a robust roadmap, one which QNX or ​Linux will never be able to match. There are large number of developers that are familiar with Android, and the modern framework lowers the head unit total cost of ownership. And finally, there is an existing eco-system of 3rd party media and messaging applications, that can serve as a starting point for Android Automotive OS. 

Android Automotive OS adds a layer of software that brings features that are unique to automotive. Android Automotive OS falls under the Android Open Source Project. An operating system by itself is not enough to ensure range of services that end customers will expect as application store, voice and advanced navigation services.

HARMAN Ignite Store Value Proposition

​HARMAN believes it offers a comparable solution with its Ignite store product which is in line with OEM’s and developer ecosystem interests:

  • Supports Navigation, voice and UI customization options to allow differentiation both against other OEMs, and within different trims.
  • Brings 3rd party Android Automotive OS applications, LBS/POI/E-Commerce services, productivity, and other services.
  • If required, will integrate with OEMs existing navigation and voice assistant technology stacks to ensure an end to end integrated stack that leads to car appropriate experiences.
  • Has a path to offer a common global strategy
  • Allows the OEMs to retrieve vehicle data
  • Risks control of future connected car revenue stream
Android , Android Automotive OS are trademarks of Google LLC.