‘Key Components’ of FCA’s Harman-Google Smart-Car System Debut in 2019

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) picked Harman and Google to deliver a new connected-car “ecosystem” for vehicle owners globally, said the automaker Tuesday. “Key components” will begin debuting “in phases across global regions,” and all new vehicles “will be connected” by 2022, it said. “Off-board,” the system will use architecture based on Harman’s Ignite cloud-based platform, said FCA. “On-board,” the Android-powered system’s “app-based environment” will provide fresh content updates over the air, plus “seamless” wireless integration with Android mobile devices, it said. Harman, which Samsung bought two years ago for $8 billion (see 1703130001), launched the Harman Ignite platform at CES 2017 to integrate management of connectivity, analytics, applications and devices (see 1701040031).