October 30, 2012 The A8600 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is a highly-integrated power management IC that is designed to provide the power-supply requirements for next-generation car audio and infotainment systems. The new quadruple-output regulator device incorporates all the control and protection circuitry needed for four high-current regulators, each with ±1.5% output accuracy. Read more

August 30, 2012 In the first week of September, Volkswagen will roll out its new Golf model, the generation seven. While the designers went to great lengths to reduce the overall weight, this does not apply to the electronic equipment. Te vehicle – or at least the options list - is packed with electronic controls, driving assistants and a new infotainment generation. Read more

August 23, 2012 Automotive data equipment test specialist and system integrator Ruetz System Solution (Munich, Germany) enhances its business field of 'Test House as a Service' by offering an operator model for the validation of infotainment and telematics. The qualified system integrator for automotive data communication thus takes on the role of general contractor, responsible for the validation of a building block per design stage until start of production (SOP). The company has specific expertise in the field of the MOST infotainment bus system. Read more

August 22, 2012 Global connected automotive infotainment system shipments are expected to grow from 5.7 million in 2012 to 50.9 million in 2017, according to ABI Research. While the US is currently the leading market, it will be overtaken by both Europe and Asia-Pacific by 2017. Read more

July 10, 2012 Though more and more OEMs yield to the market pressure and install inexpensive navigation systems from volume vendors, BMW these days has introduced the next generation of its custom-made navigation and infotainment systems, providing insights which direction HMI design will take over the years to come. BMWs latest ConnectedDrive generation features 3D representation even for the menus and animated transitions, all powered by a 1.3GHz processor with dedicated graphics chip. Read more

July 6, 2012 Fiat Group Automobiles will soon launch serial production for a cars equipped with a new infotainment system developed by automotive supplier Continental. The system will be available as a car radio in its basic form but also as an advanced multimedia head unit. During its service life, it can be upgraded or modified by installing new software versions. Read more

June 20, 2012 At its Technology Forum in San Antonio, chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor has introduced extensions of its Vybrid controller solutions portfolio which aim at automotive applications. The company rolls silicon-enabled software designed to bring connected radios, entry-level infotainment systems and reconfigurable instrument clusters to mainstream automobiles. Read more

June 14, 2012 In the context of developing an LTE-connected infotainment system, carmaker Audi is testing the AirPrime embedded wireless modules from Canadian technology company Sierra Wireless. While Audi's platform still is in the development and testing stage, Sierra Wireless now revealed that it provides the LTE modules to be used. The system has already been showcased at several industry events this year, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, and CeBIT in Hanover, Germany, in March. Read more

May 23, 2012 Mitsubishi will supply the central module and be the main supplier for the overall infotainment system. Volvo regards the move as an important step in the company's aim to spearhead the development of connectivity features in cars. Read more

May 7, 2012 STMicroelectronics has integrated remote control technology from RealVNC onto its automotive-grade infotainment application processors. Read more

April 26, 2012 Through its subsidiary Bosch China Investment Ltd, automotive supplier Bosch group plans to acquire a majority shareholding in the joint venture of Chery automotive company and Atech Australia, based in Wuhu, China. With the move, Bosch plans to strengthen its market position in Asia. Read more

April 18, 2012 Wind River has expanded its portfolio of Android offerings with the introduction of automotive-market specific software. Wind River Solution Accelerator for Android, Automotive helps in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) device manufacturers shorten the development time of high-quality Android-based IVI systems. As the latest addition to the Wind River Solution Accelerator for Android series, the automotive software adds to the existing medical, connectivity and user experience software collection. Read more

February 29, 2012 Microprocessor giant Intel has discovered the automotive infotainment market: The company has introduced several research initiatives aiming at applications associated to networked vehicles. And it launched a research center based in Karlsruhe (Germany) dedicated to in-vehicle infotainment and telematics applications. Read more

November 10, 2011 Chip supplier Intel and automaker Toyota Motor have announced that they are working together to define next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems that will enable new usage models for mobile device connectivity in the car. Read more

November 2, 2011 The increasing processing power pushed by the smartphone market finally enables an upgrade path to automotive and mobile devices, to avoid the need for specialized DSPs. EtherWaves has just announced a new version of its ClearSignal software based DAB/DMB solution that executes on Linux-based OS's, such as those used for automotive In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI), for mobile devices and for tablet computers. Read more

October 27, 2011 Several weeks after the first presentation of its F125 research car at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Daimler has provided details on the infotainment system in this futuristic car. It embraces elements such as cloud computing, seamless media integration, many apps as well as the new MirrorLink open infotainment interface. Read more

September 5, 2011 The MOST infotainment bus is best suited to meet future in-car infotainment system requirements. At least this is the result of a survey among readers of EE Times Europe automotive. Read more

July 28, 2011 Audi will use National Semiconductor's FPD-Link III SerDes chipsets in its upcoming car generation due in 2012. The carmaker plans to equip its modular high-end infotainment systems with NatSemi's high-bandwidth data transmission technology. Read more

March 3, 2011 Not at the upcoming Geneva automotive show but at the computer fair CeBIT Ford introduced its Sync voice control system to European customers. The system contains many features hitherto reserved to the high-end vehicle segment. Read more

February 15, 2011 Together with Opel, Bosch has developed an “all-in-one” infotainment system for Opel's new Corsa subcompact model. The Touch & Connect system combines audio, navigation and communications functions in one compact head unit. Read more

November 4, 2010 Berner & Mattner Systemtechnik GmbH (Munich, Germany) has launched version 5.0 of its MODENA model-based infotainment component test system. The functionality of the release has been significantly enhanced, with support for the MOST150 infotainment bus system probably being the most visible differentiator. Read more

October 26, 2010 Carmaker BMW has announced the second generation of its NGTP (Next Generation Telematics Patterns) applications interface. According to the company, the open-source, technology-neutral interface is intended to speed telematics services development. Read more

September 7, 2010 Semiconductor content in a variety of automotive subsystems will show varying rates of growth over the next five years, according to market analyst Gartner Inc. with content for safety systems showing a compound annual growth rate of 14.1 percent over the five years 2009 to 2014. Read more

August 10, 2010 Marvell and HARMAN, an automotive audio and infotainment leader, have announced they are enabling automakers to offer integrated Wi-Fi connectivity via Marvell Mobile Hotspot (MMH) technology. The 2010 Audi A8 is the first automobile on the market to feature a factory-installed mobile hotspot, representing a significant milestone for in-car Internet technology. The 2010 Audi A8 with MMH technology is now available in Europe. Read more

June 25, 2010 Chip vendor SMSC announced that its Kleer wireless audio technology has been selected by Daimler AG as part of the rear seat entertainment system for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Class models. The two Mercedes-Benz models are the first automobiles to implement Kleer technology. Read more

June 17, 2010 The trend towards electric drives and its impact to automotive electronics has been discussed extensively throughout the industry. But industry pundits see another challenge coming up to automotive engineers: Future cars will be connected to the internet – with far-reaching consequences. Read more

June 10, 2010 QNX Software Systems has announced that Audi has chosen the QNX Neutrino operating system as the software platform for Audi's next-generation high-end infotainment system. According to the software vendor, the infotainment system will provide integration with smartphones, media players, USB drives, and other mobile devices. Read more

June 10, 2010 OpenSynergy, developer of an Autosar-compliant Linux-based operating system for infotainment applications, has announced the completion of a third financing round. Investors are the Hasso Plattner Ventures and the VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, managed by the IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH. Read more

May 13, 2010 Exposure to Chinese automobile makers helped Dutch chip vendor NXP BV (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) take the top position in the global automotive infotainment semiconductor market in an economically difficult 2009, according to market research company iSuppli Corp. (El Segundo, Calif.). Read more

May 3, 2010 First the good news: The market for automotive components continues to be a growth market. The bad news is that the growth will happen almost exclusively in China, with Europe, Japan and North America to stagnate, says a study conducted by consulting company Roland Berger. Read more

April 28, 2010 Harman International and Chinese software company Neusoft Corporation have announced that the two companies have entered into partnership for the development of advanced technologies in automotive and consumer electronics. As a result of this collaboration, Harman and Neusoft have jointly established technology development centers in Shenyang, China and Hamburg, Germany. Read more

April 19, 2010 After MOST and Firewire, Ethernet is emerging as a third option for in-car infotainment networks. A study reveals that Ethernet respectively IP (Internet Protocol) offers several benefits over its competitors. Read more

March 22, 2010 Microprocessor IP vendor ARM has been elected to the board of the automotive infotainment alliance Genivi. The company regards its engagement in Genivi as part of its overarching strategy to enable consumers with the same user experience across all forms of entertainment equipment. Read more

March 22, 2010 Reconfirming its position as the leading provider of operating systems and middleware for the automotive infotainment market, QNX Software Systems has announced that its technology has been licensed for more than 17 million in-vehicle systems worldwide — an increase of 130 per cent since 2008. Read more