DETROIT—Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. this year will begin offering new in-car entertainment systems that can work with mobile networks to provide access to radio, navigation and other services normally available over the Internet.
The services include Pandora radio, a Web-based broadcaster that allows users to create "channels" based on music styles or artists, and Google Maps, which provides turn-by-turn navigation.
Toyota's system, called Entune, could also allow drivers free access to hundreds of radio stations by using the phone-based Internet application of Clear Channel Communications Inc.'s iheartradio as well as restaurant-booking site, OpenTable.com and a navigation system through Microsoft Corp.'s Bing.com. For now, the number of applications that are designed to work through Toyota's system is limited.
Hyundai's creation, called Blue Link, offers voice-activated Internet browsing, connection to social-networking sites like Twitter, texting and e-mailing as well as the ability to remotely track someone's driving from a home computer aimed at monitoring younger drivers. It also provides a safety system that notifies emergency responders of crashes—a feature much like General Motors Corp.'s OnStar subscription system.
Hyundai will charge tiered subscription fees, depending on what services the consumer wants. The pricing for the various tiers hasn't been announced.
The announcements, made this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, reflect the increased competition among car makers to make in-car entertainment systems operate like or with consumer electronics products such as Apple Inc.'s iPod. Ford Motor Co. has been winning over younger buyers in the past few years with its voice-activated Sync system, which is based on Microsoft technology.
Toyota is using a system that relies on the driver's smartphone for many of its functions. The company is hoping this will overcome a long-standing problem with automotive technology: since it is difficult to upgrade hardware built into cars, drivers often end up with obsolete technology after just a few years.
Toyota said users will register their car and phone on a company website and then download the applications to their phones. It is designed to work with "virtually every" phone where an online data plan is available, such as Android-based phones, iPhones and BlackBerries, said Greg Thome, a spokesman for Toyota.
The user then would create a BlueTooth wireless link between their phone and the car and every time the person got in the car, they could open up Pandora and begin playing music.
"The phone is the best way to get the latest and greatest hardware in the car," said David McNamara, who worked at Ford on its Sync launch before starting a consulting company.
Using a phone to introduce the applications to the car also puts the development work for software and hardware in other companies' hands.
The problem with tying the radio service to the phone is in the strength of the Internet signal. Lapses in coverage could cause the broadcast to suffer, he said.
And there is also the worry that adding new technologies to a vehicle will distract drivers unnecessarily. Consumer Reports this week said it wouldn't recommend Ford's Edge or Lincoln MKX sport utility vehicles because of their new MyTouch system that controls the radio and other cabin functions through touchscreen displays or hand controls was too complex and could distract a driver.
Toyota, cognizant of potential driver distraction, said it won't allow customers to access OpenTable.com unless the car is in "park" to avoid having drivers try to find restaurants nearby while driving.
Hyundai's solution builds a mobile phone directly into the car. It can ensure better reliability of service and less hassle by doing so, said Barry Ratzlaff, director of customer satisfaction and service business development at Hyundai Motor America.
"We are confident that the technology is going to be solidly in place for the life of the vehicle," he said.
Write to Mike Ramsey at michael.ramsey@wsj.com
What's people are generally looking, that example they got from the Detroit Auto Show. For the now-a-days car owners, entertainment becomes one basic factor.
ReplyDeleteMy next choice of Toyota model should be on the basis of such extreme entertainment facility.