AutoMotion Dealer App
The Wall Street Journal: ON Your Smartphone, IN Your Car - The Connected Car Race Ensues
Driven by consumer gripes—and by visions of new streams of revenue—auto makers and major players in the smartphone and apps industry dug into their software and hardware to remove a variety of obstacles to smooth integration of vehicle displays and the output from apps.
Apps, the little software programs that make our phones so indispensible, are quickly becoming part of our cars, too.
Now, a wave of new models hitting showrooms have dashboard electronics designed to make it dramatically easier to access smartphone apps that could provide real-time traffic maps, parking access and weather reports on the road. Mercedes-Benz is developing a new infotainment system, based on Apple's CarPlay software, that looks and feels like your iPhone, automotive correspondent Neal Boudette reports.
"This year is a tipping point," said Thilo Koslowski, a Gartner Inc. analyst who follows in-car technology. "There has been a lot of talk about apps in cars, but from 2014 forward, the revolution really happens." BMW AG is working on setting up an app store, modeled on Apple Inc. 's iTunes, to deliver automotive apps to its owners. The store is expected to launch in Europe later this year and in the U.S. in 2015.
For the car makers, electronics and communications capabilities are becoming key selling features, and for many buyers, especially the coveted younger consumers and first-time car buyers, they're more important than horsepower or handling.
"This is a big transition in the industry in the digital context" said Mathias Haller, chief architect of infotainment systems at Audi. Car makers can't afford to fall behind or take a wrong turn on dashboard technology. Ford Motor was an early leader with its Sync system, but later, more complex versions have proved buggy and frustrating to customers, and have hurt the company's standing in quality surveys.
Call it Carapps 2.0. For the past few years, new cars have had the technology—USB ports, microphones, Bluetooth—enabling drivers to make hands-free phone calls. And in some models it is possible to listen to podcasts or stream music from a smartphone. But the first generation of these interfaces were often clunky, distracting and potentially dangerous. Frustrated by confusing voice commands, drivers were forced to pick up their phones—and hope their thumb taps the right icon or swipes the screen the right way to select a song, look up an address, or enter a destination.That won't be the case soon.
Last month at the New York International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated a car equipped with an early version of an infotainment system that uses Apple's iOS extension for automobiles, CarPlay. It has the same look and feel as an iPhone—the icons that appear on the car's display are the same as the iPhone's icons. "If the driver has less to learn, then it makes it more safe," said Kal Mos, Mercedes's director of connected infotainment. Mr. Mos said the system could start appearing in Mercedes vehicles by year end.
The mobile technology providers and car makers remain wary of each other, but they also have a lot to gain if they can win over more consumer.
"It is an absolute arms race to put [smartphone technology] into every car," said Kanwalinder Singh, vice president of business development at Qualcomm Inc., whose computer chips are key components of smartphones and increasingly are turning up in automobiles. About 100 million cars sold each year world-wide, and right now only about 10% have some kind of built-in communications system, he says.
Safety experts are hoping new dashboard electronics that work more easily with smartphones eventually will lessen driver distraction. Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said early studies suggest that the distraction problem at least isn't getting worse. While there are more things drivers can do with smartphones, it is becoming easier for them to do these things without taking their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel. "It looks like drivers are no more distracted by all this technology than they were before," Mr. Lund said. Apps for streaming music and navigation are only the start of what people will soon be able to do in their cars. Ford has shown its infotainment system running an app that places orders at the nearest Domino's Pizza outlet. Recently, auto makers have started allowing software developers to draw data from the car itself, like fuel economy. Developers imagine creating apps that track detailed gas mileage for every trip a car makes, or even lets groups of friends or family members view each other's results to see who drives most efficiently.
"Everything that has been showing up in smartphones is going to show up in cars," said Bryan Trussel, founder of Glympse, which makes an app that lets people track the location of friends they are meeting. BMW and other auto makers started embedding Glympse into new cars this year.
Author Neal E. Boudette
Image: https://ideas.sap.com/ConnectedCarContest2013
AutoMotion Dealer App
The Wall Street Journal: ON Your Smartphone, IN Your Car - The Connected Car Race Ensues
Driven by consumer gripes—and by visions of new streams of revenue—auto makers and major players in the smartphone and apps industry dug into their software and hardware to remove a variety of obstacles to smooth integration of vehicle displays and the output from apps.
Apps, the little software programs that make our phones so indispensible, are quickly becoming part of our cars, too.
Now, a wave of new models hitting showrooms have dashboard electronics designed to make it dramatically easier to access smartphone apps that could provide real-time traffic maps, parking access and weather reports on the road. Mercedes-Benz is developing a new infotainment system, based on Apple's CarPlay software, that looks and feels like your iPhone, automotive correspondent Neal Boudette reports.
"This year is a tipping point," said Thilo Koslowski, a Gartner Inc. analyst who follows in-car technology. "There has been a lot of talk about apps in cars, but from 2014 forward, the revolution really happens." BMW AG is working on setting up an app store, modeled on Apple Inc. 's iTunes, to deliver automotive apps to its owners. The store is expected to launch in Europe later this year and in the U.S. in 2015.
For the car makers, electronics and communications capabilities are becoming key selling features, and for many buyers, especially the coveted younger consumers and first-time car buyers, they're more important than horsepower or handling.
"This is a big transition in the industry in the digital context" said Mathias Haller, chief architect of infotainment systems at Audi. Car makers can't afford to fall behind or take a wrong turn on dashboard technology. Ford Motor was an early leader with its Sync system, but later, more complex versions have proved buggy and frustrating to customers, and have hurt the company's standing in quality surveys.
Call it Carapps 2.0. For the past few years, new cars have had the technology—USB ports, microphones, Bluetooth—enabling drivers to make hands-free phone calls. And in some models it is possible to listen to podcasts or stream music from a smartphone. But the first generation of these interfaces were often clunky, distracting and potentially dangerous. Frustrated by confusing voice commands, drivers were forced to pick up their phones—and hope their thumb taps the right icon or swipes the screen the right way to select a song, look up an address, or enter a destination.That won't be the case soon.
Last month at the New York International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated a car equipped with an early version of an infotainment system that uses Apple's iOS extension for automobiles, CarPlay. It has the same look and feel as an iPhone—the icons that appear on the car's display are the same as the iPhone's icons. "If the driver has less to learn, then it makes it more safe," said Kal Mos, Mercedes's director of connected infotainment. Mr. Mos said the system could start appearing in Mercedes vehicles by year end.
The mobile technology providers and car makers remain wary of each other, but they also have a lot to gain if they can win over more consumer.
"It is an absolute arms race to put [smartphone technology] into every car," said Kanwalinder Singh, vice president of business development at Qualcomm Inc., whose computer chips are key components of smartphones and increasingly are turning up in automobiles. About 100 million cars sold each year world-wide, and right now only about 10% have some kind of built-in communications system, he says.
Safety experts are hoping new dashboard electronics that work more easily with smartphones eventually will lessen driver distraction. Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said early studies suggest that the distraction problem at least isn't getting worse. While there are more things drivers can do with smartphones, it is becoming easier for them to do these things without taking their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel. "It looks like drivers are no more distracted by all this technology than they were before," Mr. Lund said. Apps for streaming music and navigation are only the start of what people will soon be able to do in their cars. Ford has shown its infotainment system running an app that places orders at the nearest Domino's Pizza outlet. Recently, auto makers have started allowing software developers to draw data from the car itself, like fuel economy. Developers imagine creating apps that track detailed gas mileage for every trip a car makes, or even lets groups of friends or family members view each other's results to see who drives most efficiently.
"Everything that has been showing up in smartphones is going to show up in cars," said Bryan Trussel, founder of Glympse, which makes an app that lets people track the location of friends they are meeting. BMW and other auto makers started embedding Glympse into new cars this year.
Author Neal E. Boudette
Image: https://ideas.sap.com/ConnectedCarContest2013
1 Comment
AutoMotion Dealer App
Apple CarPlay : The Automotive Experience Hits The Gas.
CarPlay is Apple’s BRAND NEW in-car infotainment system which promises to give you “The best iPhone experience on four wheels.”
“Smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car. CarPlay takes the things you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them right on your car’s built-in display. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages and listen to music all in a way that allows yo to stay focused on the road. Just plug in your iPhone and go.”- Apple
The technology allows you to control your driving experience in 3 ways:
- Voice
- Touch
- knobs and Controls
The technology is adapted to fit a variety of vehicle formats and set-ups allowing Apple’s technology to work on various platforms and manufactures, allowing Apple to reuse its technology over and over. This is very similar to the model Apple already uses, focusing more on software and experience upgrades than the hardware itself. Automakers control the hardware, while Apple controls the interface. This will allow Apple to move its way into some of the largest automakers in the game, broadening their consumer reach exponentially.
The 2014 starting line-up includes:
- Ferrari
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar
- Mercedez-Benz
- Volvo
with committed partners including: BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.
What is one of the main reasons people have joined the ‘Apple Movement?” Experience. The iOS operating system is what draws people to Apple’s iPhones and you can easily see many cues transfer over to CarPlay. It looks as if Apple’s main goal is to enhance the in-car experience, but it is much more than this. Giving a tech company like Apple control of the consumers automotive interface allows them to directly influence the automaker’s consumers experience.
- How will giving a tech company control of your consumers experience affect your brand?
- Will the lines that separate manufactures and models now become much more blurry?
- What will distinguish top of the line models from low-end compacts if they all have the same infotainment system?
- How will the automakers and tech companies wants and needs correlate to conjoined goals?
The connected car is a revolutionary step that will change the entire automotive culture as we know it. Tech companies and automakers are partnering up all across the board with Google, Microsoft and Apple all racing to get their piece of the connected car cake. One thing is for sure, the automotive experience is about to take a hard right turn. So buckle up and hold on.
By Josh Knutson
Sources: https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/
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AutoMotion Dealer App
Apple CarPlay : The Automotive Experience Hits The Gas.
CarPlay is Apple’s BRAND NEW in-car infotainment system which promises to give you “The best iPhone experience on four wheels.”
“Smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car. CarPlay takes the things you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them right on your car’s built-in display. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages and listen to music all in a way that allows yo to stay focused on the road. Just plug in your iPhone and go.”- Apple
The technology allows you to control your driving experience in 3 ways:
- Voice
- Touch
- knobs and Controls
The technology is adapted to fit a variety of vehicle formats and set-ups allowing Apple’s technology to work on various platforms and manufactures, allowing Apple to reuse its technology over and over. This is very similar to the model Apple already uses, focusing more on software and experience upgrades than the hardware itself. Automakers control the hardware, while Apple controls the interface. This will allow Apple to move its way into some of the largest automakers in the game, broadening their consumer reach exponentially.
The 2014 starting line-up includes:
- Ferrari
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar
- Mercedez-Benz
- Volvo
with committed partners including: BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.
What is one of the main reasons people have joined the ‘Apple Movement?” Experience. The iOS operating system is what draws people to Apple’s iPhones and you can easily see many cues transfer over to CarPlay. It looks as if Apple’s main goal is to enhance the in-car experience, but it is much more than this. Giving a tech company like Apple control of the consumers automotive interface allows them to directly influence the automaker’s consumers experience.
- How will giving a tech company control of your consumers experience affect your brand?
- Will the lines that separate manufactures and models now become much more blurry?
- What will distinguish top of the line models from low-end compacts if they all have the same infotainment system?
- How will the automakers and tech companies wants and needs correlate to conjoined goals?
The connected car is a revolutionary step that will change the entire automotive culture as we know it. Tech companies and automakers are partnering up all across the board with Google, Microsoft and Apple all racing to get their piece of the connected car cake. One thing is for sure, the automotive experience is about to take a hard right turn. So buckle up and hold on.
By Josh Knutson
Sources: https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/
No Comments
AutoMotion Dealer App
BIG Snow : BIG Success - Surviving The Snow Day / Season
Follow these 4 steps to transform your dealership from a dreary snow covered lot into a winter wonderland.
1. Off Work and Online:
With tons of people staying at home this is the perfect time for you to connect with your customers online. Utilize your social media and special online offers to keep your dealership on the top of shoppers minds. People get cabin fever, make sure to let your customers know if you are open or not and if so, offer them something special to make their trek through the snow worth it.
.
2. Big Snow,
Big Vehicles: SELL SIZE
Huge snow storms will help you persuade shoppers with smaller vehicles that it may be time for an upgrade. Their little compact may get good gas mileage, but it sure isn’t going to get them through the snow to work or to pick their kids up from hockey practice. Sell the necessity of these larger vehicles and give customers multiple reasons on why a larger automobile will make their winter much more manageable.
4/All Wheel drive becomes your winter hero. Show customers that these vehicles mean business, post pictures, videos and examples online that prove to customers that the added cost of these systems and vehicles is well worth it in these snow ridden climates.
3. After Snow Accidents:
Terrible road conditions lead to lots of accidents and where do people bring their car after its been all banged up…to your service department of course!
This is the perfect time to create a great relationship with your customers, accidents are traumatic experiences and couple that with cold weather makes for an even more irritated client. Make sure you are on top of your customer service and turn customers bad on-road accidents to great in-store experiences that will create a great memory and keep them coming back to you.
4. Empower Employees:
The last thing your sales team wants to be doing is spending all day clearing off your entire inventory with your “foam brooms” that seem to take endless pushes and pulls to clear off each car. If you are requiring your employees to fight through the snow to get to work and then spend all day outside make sure you are rewarding them. Happy employees are productive employees. Keep it fun and use the time outside as a team building exercise and make sure you stay warm, nobody wants to work with a salesman who is frozen literally and emotionally.
Make the most of every season and play your demographic strengths to your advantage. No one wants tons of snow burring your profits so come up with creative and beneficial ways to heat up your dealership all year long.
- Josh Knutson
Image sources: ( www.lehighvalleylive.com , appirio.com , motortrend.com)
No Comments
AutoMotion Dealer App
BIG Snow : BIG Success - Surviving The Snow Day / Season
Follow these 4 steps to transform your dealership from a dreary snow covered lot into a winter wonderland.
1. Off Work and Online:
With tons of people staying at home this is the perfect time for you to connect with your customers online. Utilize your social media and special online offers to keep your dealership on the top of shoppers minds. People get cabin fever, make sure to let your customers know if you are open or not and if so, offer them something special to make their trek through the snow worth it.
.
2. Big Snow,
Big Vehicles: SELL SIZE
Huge snow storms will help you persuade shoppers with smaller vehicles that it may be time for an upgrade. Their little compact may get good gas mileage, but it sure isn’t going to get them through the snow to work or to pick their kids up from hockey practice. Sell the necessity of these larger vehicles and give customers multiple reasons on why a larger automobile will make their winter much more manageable.
4/All Wheel drive becomes your winter hero. Show customers that these vehicles mean business, post pictures, videos and examples online that prove to customers that the added cost of these systems and vehicles is well worth it in these snow ridden climates.
3. After Snow Accidents:
Terrible road conditions lead to lots of accidents and where do people bring their car after its been all banged up…to your service department of course!
This is the perfect time to create a great relationship with your customers, accidents are traumatic experiences and couple that with cold weather makes for an even more irritated client. Make sure you are on top of your customer service and turn customers bad on-road accidents to great in-store experiences that will create a great memory and keep them coming back to you.
4. Empower Employees:
The last thing your sales team wants to be doing is spending all day clearing off your entire inventory with your “foam brooms” that seem to take endless pushes and pulls to clear off each car. If you are requiring your employees to fight through the snow to get to work and then spend all day outside make sure you are rewarding them. Happy employees are productive employees. Keep it fun and use the time outside as a team building exercise and make sure you stay warm, nobody wants to work with a salesman who is frozen literally and emotionally.
Make the most of every season and play your demographic strengths to your advantage. No one wants tons of snow burring your profits so come up with creative and beneficial ways to heat up your dealership all year long.
- Josh Knutson
Image sources: ( www.lehighvalleylive.com , appirio.com , motortrend.com)
No Comments
AutoMotion Dealer App
AutoMotion TV Brings Apps to the Automotive Dealership Market on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
Automotive App Leaders Expand to Windows Platform to Increase Mobile Outreach Between Dealers and Consumers.
Minneapolis, MN – AutoMotion TV today announced the release of the AutoMotion TV Dealer apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. With more and more automotive shoppers using Windows 8 on their tablet and using Windows Phone 8 devices, dealers can now provide customers quick access to inventory, service scheduling, live chat, and more through interactive apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.
“We’re excited to connect dealers and shoppers through mobile apps,” stated AutoMotion TV President, Ben Anderson. “Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 users represent an increasing percentage of the mobile market, and we’re pleased to provide a quicker and more convenient way for them to interface with their dealership.”
“We’re pleased AutoMotion TV is bringing its existing dealer base, technology, and mobile leadership in the automotive sector to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8,” stated John Richards, senior director of Windows App Marketing for Microsoft Corp. “With the AutoMotion TV Dealer apps, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 users looking to purchase a vehicle can easily and conveniently interact with dealers at home or on-the-go from inventory research to service scheduling.”
Using the AutoMotion TV apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, you can research new vehicles through beautiful imagery and video, chat with a live dealer representative, or schedule vehicle service through the app. The app gives instant access to current dealer inventory, incentives, and vehicle trade-in valuations.
The AutoMotion TV apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are now available for download in the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store respectively.
About AutoMotion TV
AutoMotionTV Dealer App is a leader in mobile apps for automotive dealers. The company’s mobile solutions provide customer access to dealer inventory, service scheduling, live chat, and more. AutoMotionTV helps dealers drive more sales and service revenue through mobile.
Feel free to contact us anytime at 877-705-0914 or http://www.automotiontv.com/
No Comments
AutoMotion Dealer App
AutoMotion TV Brings Apps to the Automotive Dealership Market on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
Automotive App Leaders Expand to Windows Platform to Increase Mobile Outreach Between Dealers and Consumers.
Minneapolis, MN – AutoMotion TV today announced the release of the AutoMotion TV Dealer apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. With more and more automotive shoppers using Windows 8 on their tablet and using Windows Phone 8 devices, dealers can now provide customers quick access to inventory, service scheduling, live chat, and more through interactive apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.
“We’re excited to connect dealers and shoppers through mobile apps,” stated AutoMotion TV President, Ben Anderson. “Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 users represent an increasing percentage of the mobile market, and we’re pleased to provide a quicker and more convenient way for them to interface with their dealership.”
“We’re pleased AutoMotion TV is bringing its existing dealer base, technology, and mobile leadership in the automotive sector to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8,” stated John Richards, senior director of Windows App Marketing for Microsoft Corp. “With the AutoMotion TV Dealer apps, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 users looking to purchase a vehicle can easily and conveniently interact with dealers at home or on-the-go from inventory research to service scheduling.”
Using the AutoMotion TV apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, you can research new vehicles through beautiful imagery and video, chat with a live dealer representative, or schedule vehicle service through the app. The app gives instant access to current dealer inventory, incentives, and vehicle trade-in valuations.
The AutoMotion TV apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are now available for download in the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store respectively.
About AutoMotion TV
AutoMotionTV Dealer App is a leader in mobile apps for automotive dealers. The company’s mobile solutions provide customer access to dealer inventory, service scheduling, live chat, and more. AutoMotionTV helps dealers drive more sales and service revenue through mobile.
Feel free to contact us anytime at 877-705-0914 or http://www.automotiontv.com/
No Comments
1 Comment