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Trio Of Ford Rivals Team Up To Develop Connected Vehicle Software

Ford signed a landmark partnership agreement with Volkswagen a few years ago, and it has led to the introduction of several new models since then – including both ICE and all-electric vehicles with shared components. By all accounts, Ford and VW’s partnership has paid off for both automakers in terms of sharing development and production costs, and figures to continue to grow moving forward – prompting The Blue Oval to potentially explore additional partnerships in the future. Now, Volkswagen – along with two of Ford’s rivals – are teaming up for a similar cause.

That trio consists of VW, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW, three German rivals that will be part of a consortium of 11 different companies brought together by the Automotive Industry Association (VDA). The goal of this new endeavor is to jointly develop connected vehicle software, or more specifically, an open-source software stack. That stack will reportedly be used to authenticate car components and handle communication between them and other external devices. This group of German automakers isn’t alone in that regard, however, as Ford, General Motors, and several other automakers are also part of a similar effort via the The Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA).

This software stack won’t be noticeable to consumers, however, as it’s more of an underlying piece of tech – what the consortium refers to as “non-differentiating,” meaning that it isn’t something users will directly interact with. This means that VW, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW will continue to utilize independent user interfaces and infotainment software, with no shared resources in that regard. The companies are also free to continue developing their own individual software, too.

The goal of this consortium is essentially obvious – to drive down the costs of software development and speed up the development process, “in order to stay competitive in the global market,” according to the group, much of which stems from the stratospheric rise of Chinese automakers in recent times. The first version of this new software stack is expected to be ready by 2026, and will potentially land in real-world applications by 2030.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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