Ford has purchased software development startup company Livio to further enhance the smartphone integration in their line of vehicles. With Livio’s in-car electronic integration know how, Ford is hoping to stay ahead of the curve in the connectivity arena. Paul Mascarenas, chief technical officer and vice president of Ford Research and Innovation said.
“With the additional expertise Livio provides us, Ford intends to continue to lead the next generation of in-car connectivity with technology advancements that give consumers more options to access their devices on the go.
Ford states that last year more than 1.9 million cars were shipped with smartphone integration and that number is expected to go up to 21 million by 2018. Ford’s purchase of Livio is a move to standardize the way consumers use their devices in their vehicles. Jake Sigal, Livio CEO had this to say.
“At Livio, our philosophy is centered on bringing customers more connectivity with less hassle. We believe this partnership is an excellent match, as it will give us the ability to work with Ford to provide customers even more access to new technologies in the vehicle infotainment space.”
Livio will now be a subsidiary of Ford Global Technologies but will operate as a separate department within Ford Engineering. However they break down the organization chart this is cool news for us techies who want integration. Now let’s see how they solve the issues of multiple operating system integration. Will Livio have a system that works equally well with Android, iOS and Windows? How about Google Glass? We will see, still exciting stuff.
Source and Photo Credit: Ford
Last Updated on April 16, 2024.
