Ford stepped up its software efforts through a partnership with Pivotal Labs to improve the connected vehicle experience via Ford’s Sync technology, it said Wednesday. The three-year partnership is designed to fast-track the digital transition for enterprises through development of mobile experiences, said Ford. Customers will be able to get updates via a smartphone app via the Sync modem. “Typically, it took Ford months to develop software,” said Bill Cook, Pivotal chief operating officer, saying that time has been shaved to “mere days.” Software development expertise is “critical to delivering at the speed consumers expect,” said Marcy Klevorn, Ford chief information officer. “Customers today are used to frequent software updates on their mobile devices, and expect them with all technology,” she said. The Pivotal collaboration allows for faster vehicle software updates, she said.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles released draft regulations on equipment requirements, performance standards, safety certifications and other issues for the operation of autonomous vehicles. "These regulations create a framework that allows manufacturers to transition from testing to deployment, promotes the continued development of autonomous vehicle technology, and ensures that autonomous vehicle technology is deployed in a safe and responsible manner on California public roads," said a DMV summary. The draft includes a provision that requires manufacturers to notify operators about data "collected by the autonomous technology that is not necessary for the safe operation of the vehicle." The provision said manufacturers must get written approval from the operator to allow for that collection. The state agency plans two workshops -- Jan. 28 in Sacramento and Feb. 2 in Los Angeles -- to get feedback.

Harman began producing connected car and audio systems for Hyundai’s Genesis G90, the first vehicle in the Korean carmaker’s new luxury brand, Harman said Tuesday. The embedded infotainment system includes 2D and 3D navigation, high-definition mapping, voice commands, Bluetooth, rich multimedia support and a 200 GB hard drive, Harman said. The interface, a 12-inch HD screen with touch control, is in the center console for control of entertainment, apps, media and phone information, navigation, HVAC and vehicle system data, said Harman. The vehicle also has dual 9-inch rear seat monitors for connectivity and entertainment. High-speed embedded connectivity is provided through an integrated 4G/LTE modem, said the company. Harman’s Lexicon surround-sound system is available in two versions: a 14-speaker, 600-watt base model or upgraded 17-speaker, 900-watt system, Harman said. Both versions offer Lexicon’s Quantum Logic surround sound and Harman’s Clari-fi software that’s designed to rebuild details lost in compressed audio files, the company said. The G90 is due in U.S. and European markets mid-2016. The Korean version of the Genesis G900 (EQ900) is the first mass-produced car with partially autonomous driving, Harman said. It incorporates a highway driving assist system that enables hands-free driving on highway, plus a lane guidance system and advanced smart cruise control, both supported through the infotainment system to help control vehicle speed by recognizing speed limits and risk areas, Harman said.

Representatives of Mercedes-Benz USA and parent Daimler expressed “enthusiastic support” in a series of meetings at the FCC for an agency proposal to expand vehicular radar use throughout the 76-81 GHz band. “By adopting that proposal, the Commission will advance international efforts to harmonize the spectrum allocation for vehicular radar, promote the development of innovative new automotive safety technologies, including next generation driver assistance, and provide an essential foundation for the development of autonomous vehicles,” the auto executives said, according to a filing in docket 11-90. The FCC sought comment in a February NPRM. The docket has been quiet since the FCC took comments earlier this year, with only one other filing since April. The companies said the commission was right to propose that the use of the spectrum fall under Part 95 rules. “Vehicular radar technologies enable critical safety of life applications, including collision prevention, lane keeping assistance, and blind spot detection, among other safety features,” they said. “Part 95 licensing will provide vehicular radar with primary status and protect it from harmful interference."

The FTC said it's hosting a one-day workshop Jan. 19 on competition and other auto-related issues, including emerging trends such as car-sharing, connected cars (see 1511180051) and autonomous vehicles (see 1512080046). The workshop participants will discuss both federal and state regulations, including the relationship between automakers and dealers, the agency said Monday. Speakers weren't listed, but the workshop will be webcast on the agency's site.

Delphi gave a peek Friday into CES plans for an automated vehicle showcasing its "vehicle 2 everything" technology. Among the features to be demonstrated: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) detection that can see all cars in the immediate vicinity, including when an adjacent car abruptly moves into its lane; vehicle-to-pedestrian that leverages a chip in a smartphone, and warns of pedestrians not paying attention to traffic as they use their phone; blind corners, which manages for situations when street angles prevent drivers from seeing opposing traffic; and a ride-sharing feature that notifies designated contacts of the driver’s location so a ride can be requested, said the company. Delphi called the future of “truly automated driving” a “long-term” development but said next year its V2V technology will appear on the 2017 Cadillac CTS’ Super Cruise system. At CES, Delphi will show a touch-free cockpit that uses hidden infrared cameras to track eye movement to detect what a driver sees and infers what action should be carried out by the infotainment system.

SiriusXM “won’t stand still” on connected vehicles, Chief Financial Officer David Frear told the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Leveraged Finance Conference webcast Wednesday from Boca Raton, Florida. SiriusXM believes there's a “content offensive that we can do with connected vehicle,” Frear said. “There is also a direct marketing offensive that we can do with connected car,” which the company thinks is “a great upside for the business,” he said. Frear sidestepped mention of the company’s SXM17 connected-car initiative, which in the past has been described as a multiyear project to bring two-way connectivity to the vehicle using satellite delivery and streaming (see 1504280044). SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer has said the company would have more to say about SXM17 at CES (see 1509170042).

Harman announced a strategic alliance with Dirac Research Thursday that will bring Dirac’s digital audio and tuning technologies to Harman infotainment system applications. The collaboration builds on Harman’s existing partnership with Dirac that supplies the Bowers & Wilkins in-car surround system for the Volvo XC90 with Dirac’s Unison sound optimization technology, Harman said. Through the partnership, Harman automotive customers will be able to directly license Dirac’s technologies for sound optimization including room correction, sound field synthesis and active room treatment, Harman said.

A Ford software update made available to Sync-equipped vehicle owners Thursday adds Apple Siri capability for hands-free access to iPhone features, Ford said. Siri Eyes-Free allows drivers to activate Siri with a long press of the voice recognition button on the steering wheel that’s similar to activating Siri on an iPhone, said the carmaker. Voice requests drivers can make to Siri include calling contacts in the address book, looking up phone numbers for points of interest, setting a reminder or alarm, getting weather information, selecting and playing music, sending and receiving text messages by voice and getting directions from Apple Maps, it said. The update is compatible with vehicles dating back to 2011, Ford said.

Harman made an open source software contribution to the Open AVB project to help drive adoption of ethernet AVB/TSN (audio video bridging/time sensitive networking) in automotive, consumer, pro audio/video and industrial markets, the company said Tuesday. Harman’s contribution includes enhancements to the AVTP (audio video transport protocol) data pipeline, aiming to “modernize and prepare the connected car with flexible, scalable and secure in-vehicle networking technology while addressing an increased need for highly reliable communication in the vehicle,” said the company. As the auto industry continues to move toward autonomous driving, there is an increased need for highly dependable, cross-domain communication in the vehicle, said Harman. Ethernet AVB is a “reliable solution” because it replaces the physical complexity of analog cables and the network complexity of earlier proprietary systems, said Harman. “AVB brings an open, standards-based approach that enables interoperable platforms to offer more affordable and better market solutions.” The Open AVB project is backed by the AVnu Alliance, a community creating an interoperable ecosystem of “low-latency, time-synchronized, highly reliable” networked devices using open standards through certification. The Open AVB project provides essential network building blocks, drivers, libraries and best practices for building AVB/TSN systems, it said. Harman has been contributing to working groups and projects since the Alliance's formation, and the goal of the latest contribution is to enable a fully functioning, viable open source software stack for the development and testing of ethernet AVB products, it said. With open source software as the foundation, Harman hopes to bring the global auto industry more closely aligned with the larger networking community “to make modern vehicle networking technology more quickly available to the connected car," said Dean Miles, senior vice president-Harman Connected Services.