Harman International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronic, has announced that Great Wall Motors (GWM) has chosen Harman to deliver its Remote Vehicle Updating Service (OTA) in the company’s vehicle launching in 2019. This announcement was made at the Auto China 2018 show.
China is one of the world’s largest and most enthusiastic markets for connected cars. A JD Power study found 78% of Chinese consumers “definitely would” or “probably would” trust a fully automated, self-driving vehicle. Meanwhile IDC predicts total market size for connected and electric vehicles in China’s car manufacturing industry will grow from US$4.87bn in 2016 to $10.5bn by 2021 at a compound annual growth rate of 16.5%.
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Harman’s Remote Vehicle Updating Service is described as an end-to-end solution capable for remotely updating the full vehicle, from head units to the smallest ECUs, providing OEMs the capability to fully monitor and control any update, campaigns with full traceability. Harman’s solution is also capable of updating any software on any operating system, including firmware, software, application, maps, content, configuration and more. It leverages the company’s key cornerstone Smart Delta technology, which reduces the file update package by up to 99%. This – it is claimed – contributes greatly to the security of the process, network efficiency as well as cost savings, minimising the time it takes for the update to complete and ultimately resulting in a positive customer experience.
“OTA updates are an important layer of the Great Wall Motors’ connected car strategy and serve as a foundation for future-upgraded and next-generation vehicles. ‘OTA update’ is easy to say, but difficult to execute. This is something we take seriously, because even a little R&D mistake may have serious consequences, like car disablement. As the connected car space grows more complex, we need the leading supplier with a history of notable experience in the auto industry to ensure quality service,” said Yansong Guo, deputy director of technology centre at Great Wall Motors.
“Harman’s OTA Remote Vehicle Updating Service has a worldwide reputation, with 18 years of successful deployment. More than 25m cars worldwide are using Harman’s OTA solution for full-vehicle software management and update services. Choosing Harman also represents the high standard of Great Wall Motors and the mature Smart Delta technology can help our cars save bandwidth, improve the user experience and shorten the time to market. I believe our partnership will greatly improve the service experience within our connected car.”
According to Sanjay Dhawan, EVP and president of Harman Connected Services and CTO, Harman: “Harman has been working with Great Wall Motors, China’s top OEM player, for several years by providing outstanding in-car infotainment systems to their customers. We are excited to extend this relationship through the new OTA award. We admire the company’s strengths in R&D and innovation, as well as their commitment to advancing the automotive industry. The Great Wall Motors’ vehicles we’ll see next year will showcase how advanced OTA solutions can ensure all vehicle software can be updated with the latest features and functions at any point during the lifecycle of the car.”
