In connected car news are Google, Car Connectivity Consortium, Schaeffler, Qorix, SmartSens, XPENG, Emergency Safety Solutions, PursuitAlert, Red Hat, Ferrous Systems, Mapbox, BMW, Honda, Rescale, Elektrobit, Microchip, Teletrac Navman, Infineon, Wolfspeed, Misora Connect and Automotive Edge Computing Consortium.
Google and the Car Connectivity Consortium Host Twentieth Plugfest on Digital Key Version 4
The Car Connectivity Consortium held its twentieth end-to-end plugfest at Google in San Jose from October 12 to 16, focusing on validation of CCC Digital Key Version 4 across a range of mobility architectures, including commercial fleets, rental operations, and service-based access ecosystems.
Testing covered server-based owner and fleet device operations, interoperability with Version 3 deployments, Bluetooth Low Energy sniffing validation, and enhanced near-field communication alongside passive entry mechanisms. The interoperability benchmarks were intended to prepare the automotive and mobile sectors for broader deployment ahead of the CCC Members Meeting in Vancouver, scheduled for October 20 to 22, and to support unified standardization across multi-brand vehicle access platforms.
Schaeffler and Qorix Partner on Software-Defined Vehicle Platforms
Schaeffler and automotive software specialist Qorix have formed a strategic partnership to co-develop, integrate, and commercialize software-based platform solutions for software-defined vehicles and centralized high-performance computing architectures. The initiative pairs Schaeffler’s cross-domain controller hardware, battery management systems, and functional safety integration with Qorix’s production-ready automotive middleware, with the aim of accelerating series production and simplifying integration across zonal and centralized electrical and electronic topologies.
The collaboration builds on the Eclipse S-CORE open-source framework as a standardized foundation for reusing code across vehicle generations and OEM programs. Qorix contributes its Qorix Performance middleware layer, which provides deterministic communication, full lifecycle software management, and ISO 26262 functional safety compliance on centralized compute nodes. Beyond light vehicles, the companies plan to extend the integrated hardware and software architecture into industrial automation and robotics.
SmartSens Shows Automotive Image Sensors and Edge AI Processing at AutoSens Europe
SmartSens presented its automotive-grade CMOS image sensor portfolio and integrated imaging and computing platforms at AutoSens Europe 2026 in Barcelona, addressing perception architectures for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving. The demonstrations highlighted close coupling between high dynamic range image sensors and edge processing silicon from its subsidiary Flyingchip, designed to optimize multi-camera computer vision pipelines.
The company debuted forward-facing camera modules that pair its 8.3-megapixel SC860AT sensor and SC233AT driver monitoring unit with Flyingchip’s M2 system-on-chip, supporting exterior object recognition and driver vigilance tracking under high-contrast lighting. For cabin monitoring, SmartSens paired its 5-megapixel SC533AT sensor with Flyingchip’s M1 chip to handle occupant monitoring, seat occupancy verification, and child presence detection, with high shutter efficiency and low read noise.
For surround-view systems, the company demonstrated a 360-degree vision array based on the 3-megapixel SC360AT, using high dynamic range exposure control to suppress headlight bloom and preserve shadow detail during tight-clearance and nighttime maneuvering. The sensor and chip configurations are designed for Tier 1 suppliers and automakers deploying production-scale vision systems.
XPENG and Google Bring Google Play to Android Automotive Cockpits
XPENG announced an expanded strategic collaboration with Google to integrate Google Play natively into its AI-powered digital cockpit. Scheduled for deployment in early 2027, the implementation builds on Android Automotive OS to provide standalone, phone-free access to third-party applications for navigation, media streaming, gaming, charging, and parking across more than 100 global markets.
The system runs alongside XPENG’s proprietary intelligent cockpit stack, allowing drivers to launch and control downloaded applications through the vehicle’s multilingual AI voice assistant. Because Google Play runs directly on the infotainment domain, individual services can be managed and updated over the air without full-vehicle firmware revisions.
The deployment follows XPENG’s July 2026 integration of the Google Maps Auto SDK, which supplies base mapping layers for localized navigation and international ADAS implementations. Specific vehicle models, rollout schedules, and regional application compatibility are to be detailed before commercial launch.
Emergency Safety Solutions and PursuitAlert Add DigitalSiren to H.E.L.P. Alert Network
Emergency Safety Solutions and PursuitAlert announced the integration of PursuitAlert’s patented DigitalSiren platform into the H.E.L.P. Alert Network, delivering real-time advance hazard notifications for high-speed police pursuits and Code 3 emergency responses across the United States. Using incident telemetry from participating public safety fleet vehicles, the combined system sends geofenced Road Awareness Alerts to connected navigation platforms, OEM telematics systems, and in-cabin displays, warning motorists of roadway hazards before line-of-sight contact.
The deployment pairs digital advance notifications with emergency vehicle lighting to reduce secondary collisions and improve slow-down and move-over compliance along transit corridors. By distributing low-latency cellular and cloud-brokered incident data to passenger vehicle interfaces, the protocol is designed to give approaching drivers time to decelerate while first responders stay focused on high-speed maneuvers.
Red Hat and Ferrous Systems Bring Safety-Qualified Rust to In-Vehicle Operating System
Red Hat and Ferrous Systems established a strategic collaboration to integrate Ferrocene, an ISO 26262 ASIL D safety-qualified Rust compiler toolchain, into Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System, known as RHIVOS. Aimed at accelerating software-defined vehicle engineering, the integration offers automakers and Tier 1 suppliers a memory-safe alternative to legacy C and C++ codebases for safety-critical electronic control units, with reduced toolchain qualification overhead, custom validation requirements, and long-term integration costs.
The architecture supports mixed C, C++, and Rust environments, letting developers run memory-safe components alongside legacy software stacks on embedded hardware. Ferrocene 26.05 currently supports RHIVOS through a qualified aarch64-rhivos2-linux-gnu compilation target, enabling immediate prototyping and application validation. General commercial availability of the fully qualified platform is scheduled for the second half of 2027, timed to production safety-certified RHIVOS releases.
Mapbox and BMW Put 3D Live Navigation and ADAS in the Neue Klasse
Mapbox has introduced Mapbox 3D Live Navigation to power BMW Maps in BMW Group’s next-generation Neue Klasse electric vehicle platform. The software merges real-time ADAS camera perception with a live 3D vector map, rendering surrounding traffic, lane markings, crosswalks, and 3D buildings in a single interface across the Central Display, BMW Panoramic Vision, and 3D Head-Up Display.
A lane-level path projection called Magic Carpet displays planned maneuvers alongside active ADAS inputs, addressing the split between instrument cluster sensor views and traditional navigation screens. Built on the Mapbox Navigation SDK, the platform uses daily over-the-air map updates to keep road geometry aligned with construction and other infrastructure changes.
Honda and Rescale Extend Digital Engineering Partnership
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has signed a new multi-year agreement with Rescale to expand its use of the cloud-based digital engineering platform for next-generation vehicle development. The initiative aims to scale simulation workloads, automate complex multi-step computer-aided engineering processes, and modernize engineering infrastructure, following a joint benchmark validation program built around demanding automotive physics workloads.
Under the expanded arrangement, Honda engineering units will integrate intelligent high-performance computing orchestration, agentic engineering workflows, and AI physics capabilities. The platform lets development teams deploy surrogate machine learning models trained on proprietary simulation archives, accelerating design iteration and real-time candidate exploration across mechanical and aerodynamic vehicle programs.
Elektrobit and Microchip Pre-Integrate AUTOSAR Software for Automotive Silicon
Elektrobit and Microchip Technology entered a strategic collaboration to provide pre-integrated AUTOSAR software and tooling optimized for Microchip’s automotive semiconductor platforms. Targeting software-defined vehicle architectures, the offering delivers pre-validated Microcontroller Abstraction Layer software built on the EB tresos suite, intended to shorten integration timelines and reduce project risk for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
The joint architecture establishes an integration-as-code methodology that turns repetitive Classic AUTOSAR configuration steps into reusable, executable logic, supporting automated continuous integration pipelines and prospective AI-assisted deployment workflows. Elektrobit has initially ported its EB tresos AutoCore OS and EB tresos AutoCore Generic modules to Microchip’s SAMA5 microprocessor family, making them commercially available now, with plans to extend runtime support to additional silicon.
Market deployment will first prioritize high-growth mobility categories in Asia, including electric two-wheelers, alongside broader automotive production programs across North America and Asian OEM supply chains.
Teletrac Navman IQ Camera Wins AutoTech Breakthrough Driver Monitoring Award
Teletrac Navman announced that its AI-powered IQ Camera was named Driver Monitoring Solution of the Year in the seventh annual AutoTech Breakthrough Awards. Designed for commercial fleets, the connected video telematics device uses edge computer vision to monitor driver behavior in real time, delivering automated in-cab alerts aimed at correcting high-risk behaviors and reducing collision liability.
The camera integrates with the cloud-based TN360 fleet management platform, synchronizing captured driving events with fleet telematics data to generate structured post-trip driver coaching profiles. The edge video system also archives contextual incident footage to support insurance claims investigations, fault determination, and driver exoneration.
Infineon and Wolfspeed Extend Silicon Carbide Wafer Supply Agreement to 200 mm
Wolfspeed and Infineon Technologies AG announced an expansion and multi-year extension of their long-term silicon carbide wafer supply agreement. The relationship has lasted more than 20 years, and the updated contract adds 200 mm SiC substrates alongside continuing 150 mm wafer deliveries to support Infineon’s power semiconductor manufacturing roadmap.
The shift toward 200 mm capacity comes as demand for wide-bandgap silicon carbide power devices accelerates across automotive, industrial, and energy infrastructure markets. Market research forecasts cited in the announcement project the silicon carbide power device sector growing from $3.4 billion in 2024 to $11.1 billion by 2031, driven by high-efficiency power conversion needs in EV charging networks, renewable generation, stationary energy storage, and AI data centers.
Larger-diameter 200 mm material enables higher die yields per substrate, lower manufacturing costs, and optimized power module footprints. The extended agreement also reinforces Wolfspeed’s substrate supply footprint within Western semiconductor supply chains as automotive and industrial power electronics move toward high-voltage architectures.
Misora Connect Joins Automotive Edge Computing Consortium’s Trusted DataOps Group
The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium announced that Misora Connect has joined as an affiliate member, contributing wireless connectivity and mobile virtual network operator expertise to the consortium’s technical work. Misora Connect provides MVNO, IoT, and machine-to-machine communication services across Japan’s automotive, transportation, and industrial machinery sectors.
The company will take part in the AECC Trusted DataOps Special Interest Group, which focuses on data provenance, operational trust, and edge governance frameworks in connected vehicle environments. Misora Connect will concentrate on technical questions around network-level data attribution, customer consent management, usage rights enforcement, and consent revocation across mobile network architectures.