Kenwood said Thursday its 2015 line of multimedia receivers is shipping and will be in stores by the end of the month. The units incorporate Garmin navigation, and Kenwood expanded its relationship with traffic information provider Inrix to give customers two years of free, embedded traffic information on the navigation display when a smartphone loaded with the Inrix app is connected to the receiver, the company said. In anticipation of a requirement that all vehicles produced after 2018 have a rear-view camera, all of Kenwood’s 2015 DNX receivers can accommodate a rear-view camera using grid lines that help drivers determine distance from an obstacle, the company said. The DNX line is compatible with Miracast, enabling drivers to view their smartphone screen on the receiver’s display via a USB dongle.

Correction: CTIA, not the Computer and Communications Industry Association, is a member of the steering committee of the Intelligent Car Coalition (see 1503110022).

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Association of Global Automakers joined the Intelligent Car Coalition, the coalition said Wednesday. They join AT&T and the Computer and Communications Industry Association on the steering committee for the newly formed group. "Connected cars benefit all of society by using advanced technologies to save lives, fuel, money, and carbon emissions,” said Catherine McCullough, coalition executive director. “The automotive, telecom and tech fields were separate, but now they are merging. These innovations are developing at a rapid pace, and we must engage with each other in a nimble, coordinated way to ensure that the safety, mobility, and environmental benefits of connected cars are available to everyone.”

Nearly a third of passenger vehicles shipping in 2024 will be equipped with some form of head-up display (HUD), and most will be combiner units, said a report from ABI Research. “The lower manufacturing cost and smaller size of combiner HUDs will make this kind of display viable” in smaller and price-sensitive vehicles, said analyst James Hodgson. The growth will be fueled by an industry consensus toward keeping drivers’ eyes on the road, he said. Traditional head units are being joined by virtual instrument clusters and HUDs in providing drivers with information about navigation, on-board audio and inputs from advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), he said. Strong growth is predicted for the category to keep pace with the proliferation of connected vehicles requiring adaptable and reconfigurable visual interfaces, Hodgson said. Primary suppliers of HUDs include Bosch, Continental, Denso, Nippon-Seiki and Panasonic. Displays also are likely to become more specialized in their content, said Hodgson. He said the 2014 Audi TT discarded the traditional head unit screen in favor of a virtual instrument cluster but said there's still the opportunity for multiple displays to be included in a single vehicle to meet specific roles. He envisioned a future vehicle including an HUD that “augments the driver’s appreciation of what is unfolding outside of the vehicle,” a digital instrument cluster for critical vehicle information and a separate head unit geared to “entertaining the front passenger rather than assisting the driver,” said Hodgson.

All 2016 model-year Audi vehicles equipped with the “Audi connect” function -- about 19 models -- will come with AT&T 4G LTE or 3G coverage, AT&T and Audi of America announced Tuesday. All 2016 models with Audi connect will be delivered to customers with an AT&T SIM card providing connectivity to the carrier's wireless network, the companies said.

Nvidia’s automotive platforms for the connected car “remain on a sharp upward trajectory, registering better than 80 percent growth” over last year, Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said Wednesday on an earnings call. “More than 7.5 million cars with our technology are now on the road, up from 4.7 million a year ago.” At CES, the company bowed Nvidia Drive, “a computing platform for next-generation advanced driver assistant systems and digital cockpits,” Kress said. Nvidia Drive “is basically a mobile super chip, a mobile super computer, with a ton of software on top,” CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said in Q&A. The platform enables “a very advanced digital cockpit,” Huang said. “You know that we're incredibly good at computer graphics, and the things that we can do in the car with more and more displays showing up in the car is pretty wonderful.”

A week after announcing it would acquire Red Bend Software and software services company Symphony Teleca (see 1501220039), Harman said Thursday it formed a strategic collaboration with Chinese Internet search provider Baidu to launch vehicle networking technology. The CarLife collaboration will offer “advanced Internet capabilities, entertainment features and location-based services” on Harman in-vehicle infotainment head units in the Chinese market. In a statement, David Jin, Harman’s president-Northeast Asia and Greater China, said succeeding in the “quickly evolving segment of in-car technology requires a platform that can be easily updated and adapted,” and CarLife will allow Harman to provide “flexible, innovative solutions and content to OEMs that have been tailored to fit the Chinese auto market.” The cross-platform technology is compatible with Android and iOS operating systems, covering more than 95 percent of smartphone users, Harman said, and will provide “millions of drivers” a “more open and intelligent vehicle networking experience.” On the Harman earnings call Thursday, CEO Dinesh Paliwal compared CarLife to Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto. He said CarLife will contribute to the “democratization of technology at the entry level” of the car market. Harman will work with Baidu to integrate advanced connectivity, entertainment features and location-based services into its head units, “resulting in a more immersive connected car experience,” Paliwal said. He said China and other emerging markets represent the largest growth opportunities for the company.

Verizon used the North American International Auto Show to announce a retrofit connected-vehicle service called Verizon Vehicle that will be available this spring to more than 200 million older cars (1996 and later) regardless of the user’s wireless carrier. The subscription-based service will launch in Q2 and offer drivers GPS-directed roadside assistance; automatic urgent incident alerts to a Verizon member care center in case of an accident; one-button connection to a live agent in case of emergency; an “auto health system” with predictive diagnostics to translate messages such as “check engine”; a mechanic’s hotline for immediate assistance; parking and meter tools to help drivers locate a vehicle and keep tabs on time left on a meter; maintenance alerts; and stolen vehicle location assistance, Verizon said Tuesday. The subscription-based service operates through an OBD (on-board diagnostics) reader that can mount in a vehicle’s under-dash diagnostic port, a Bluetooth-enabled speaker that attaches to the visor and a free smartphone app. Subscribers can choose to use the app or have the service contact them -- by phone, text, push notification or email -- if a problem is detected with the vehicle, Verizon said. The speaker offers one-button push connection to the member care group, the mechanics hotline and roadside assistance -- as well as a second button for SOS emergency situations, Verizon said. Subscriptions are $14.99 monthly with a two-year contract, and equipment is included in the subscription price, it said. Verizon is offering the first month of service for free with pre-orders, it said.

Audi and Bang & Olufsen are using this week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit to showcase the Audi Q7 with B&O’s 3D advanced sound system, the companies said Tuesday. In what the companies are calling “their most revolutionary collaborative sound solution to date," B&O “has tailored the system’s sound to perfectly fit every inch” of the Audi Q7’s interior, they said. It’s based on B&O’s patented “acoustic lens" technology, said to deliver 180 degrees of “horizontal sound dispersion” across 23 integrated speakers, they said. “This technology ensures that every occupant experiences the same direct and spatially realistic sound stage, delivered with clarity and precise tonal balance.” The system takes the horizontal dimension of conventional surround sound, and introduces the additional dimension of height, they said. Though height information isn’t included within traditional sound sources, they’re “extracted via intelligent signal separation and semantic analysis,” using technology from Fraunhofer, which also is participating in the Auto Show showcase, they said.

With smart watch sales "skyrocketing," Hyundai owners soon will be able to connect with their cars using the wearable devices and the Hyundai Blue Link smart watch app, the carmaker said Friday. Hyundai's cloud-based Blue Link platform allows features like remote start and service information to be quickly accessed through devices like smart watches and smartphones, it said. Hyundai partnered with Station Digital Media to develop the Blue Link smart watch app and will demonstrate it at CES, it said. "This new app expands Hyundai's exploration into how wearable technology and Blue Link fit into a customer's lifestyle," it said. "Connecting to your car through a smart watch and voice recognition was previously something seen only in science fiction movies." To use the app, the smart watch wearer taps an icon or uses voice commands to execute remote functions, it said. The app allows Hyundai owners to remote start, lock and unlock doors as well as find their car in a crowded parking lot, it said. The app must be paired via Bluetooth to a smartphone that has the Blue Link mobile app installed, it said. At CES, Hyundai will demo the app on Motorola, LG, Samsung and Sony smart watches, it said. Android Wear users will be able to download the free app from Google Play starting this quarter, it said.