Who Will Win The Battle For The Dashboard?

With technology so democratized and affordable, nearly every automaker has access to the brightest screens and quickest processors, which means spending big bucks on a luxury vehicle no longer guarantees the hottest infotainment hardware on the block. This is compounded by the fact that the software tying the entire effort together is often shared, too. Google’s Android Automotive OS, for example, counts Ford, Volvo, Stellantis, BMW, and Honda among its flock, while Linux (Red Hat), and Blackberry (ONX) have made extensive in-roads in offering operating systems to various vehicle builders. Companies such as Apple are even threatening a full take-over by scheming to install its iOS straight from the factory.

There’s a battle between automakers and software operating-system suppliers for control of the dashboard. As standardization increasingly becomes the order of the day, how can a car company preserve and polish its brand?

The ones and zeros that power the software-defined vehicle are glowing red hot underneath the skin of infotainment systems across the automotive industry. I interviewed the designers and engineers fighting to differentiate their brand in a world where nearly every car company has access to the same technologies, and often even share the same operating system. Full story here at Car and Driver.