New Infotainment System for Toyota in 2018

Jan 4, 2017

Nearly four years ago, Ford announced that it was contributing the core code of its SYNC AppLink system to an open-source project with the hope that other automakers and infotainment providers would adopt the open platform known as SmartDeviceLink (SDL). In 2015, Ford and Toyota began active discussions on some collaboration and made a formal announcement at the 2016 CES in Las Vegas. This week in Las Vegas, the two automakers announced the formation of the SmartDeviceLink Consortium to manage the open-source program and help move it forward.

Ford Infotainment System

Toyota plans to launch a new infotainment system that integrates SDL in 2018 but the hope is that other automakers will follow. The new consortium also includes Mazda, Subaru, and Suzuki, along with several suppliers. AppLink and SDL are designed to provide a common software interface so that developers can make their apps available to be controlled directly through the vehicle controls including the audio system, touchscreen and voice button.

Current infotainment system for Toyota

While most automakers support the Apple and Google platforms (CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively) since most drivers now use one of those two mobile platforms, the hope is that the in-car user experience will remain at the hands of the automakers.