BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have teamed up to create an alternative to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
These three German manufacturers would usually be competing with each other, but now the titan trio are working together.
In a landmark agreement signed in Ludwigsburg, the three corporations and eight other industry leaders committed to developing open-source software solutions.
These eleven companies are fronting a stand against tech giants.
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BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen are teaming up
The VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry) led the charge.
Eleven companies signed the landmark agreement on June 24 in Ludwigsburg, committing to jointly developing open-source software solutions.
This move represents a response to tech giants like Google, who have been building partnerships with automakers.
The German alliance looks to strengthen European competitiveness in a field often dominated by the US and East Asia.
The flagship project is S-Core (Safety Open Vehicle Core), and it was launched on June 12 through the Eclipse Foundation.
S-Core allows manufacturers to focus on the distinct aspects of their own vehicles whilst sharing core components.
This allows for accelerated technology development, whilst guaranteeing high standards of safety.
It’s hoped that an advanced platform will be completed by 2026, and will involve partners in the rest of Europe as well as China and the US.
It’d already been reported earlier this year that many manufacturers had not adopted CarPlay Ultra.
Whilst Aston Martin had taken to it, Mercedes, Audi and BMW were among those sticking with ‘regular’ CarPlay.
This was because the Ultra had a very ‘my way or the highway’ approach, and manufacturers didn’t want to lose control of their infotainment systems.
Partnerships in the world of cars don’t often come around
When you think of manufacturers, you often think of rivalries.
After all, it’s all about competing for the buyers’ cash right?
Whether it’s Tesla versus BYD or Porsche versus…everyone else, there’s plenty of competition to go around.
But we have seen collaborations in the past, like the time Honda and GM teamed up to make ‘millions’ of affordable EVs.
It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this German collaboration in the future.
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