TAIPEI, Taiwan — HTC is going to make its first debut of car accessory at the biannual 2016 Taipei International Auto Show (TIAS), announced on Friday that the company has teamed up with Volkswagen in developing the “Customer-Link”. This application aims at providing the timely traffic information and data services to increase driving safety, energy efficiency and adapt to the Internet of Vehicles (IoV).
Jack Tong, President of HTC North Asia, said that the company is leading customers into the IoV era and optimizing driving experiences.
Regardless of Reuters Breakingnews columnist Robyn Mak forecast earlier this week that loss-making HTC is among several smartphone brands heading for extinction in 2016, HTC Chairperson Cher Wang rebutted Thursday that HTC will never disappear but will continue to have a presence in the market.
It seems HTC has been expanding its presence with automakers. Following its partnership in 2011 with Taiwanese auto brand Luxgen to allow the use of the HTC Sense software in Luxgen vehicle interface, the company also has signed a cooperation agreement last week with Audi and will install its HTC Vive VR devices in Audi’s flagship shops in 2016 to enable consumers to review and even test drive Audi cars through the VR devices.
Nevertheless, the company is partnering with Volkswagen, a “Customer-Link” app and “Customer-Link Bridge” platform have been launched to allow drivers to gain access to up-to-date information on road and traffic conditions. The system is expected to maximize communication resources and eventually improve road safety, HTC said.
The Customer-Link pairs with the data center of Volkswagen, reading cars’ total mileage, RPM, engine oil temperature, engine coolant temperature and distance to empty, etc. Therefore, if the car starts acting up, the system will send alert and locate the nearby service centers.
The data will be integrated, appearing simultaneously on the smartphones and auto displays under MirrorLink. The Customer-Link is planned to be built-in in all Volkswagen models available in Taiwan in the second quarter of 2016, which is compatible with Android and iOS.
The biannual 2016 TIAS will be held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1 on December 26 to January 3.
