PSA from Google and Apple ready to integrate into vehicle apps

Ford and Toyota said that Mazda Motor, PSA Group, Fuji Heavy Industries and Suzuki Motor have joined their SmartDeviceLink Consortium.

They have formed a consortium to speed the development of auto-industry standards for in-vehicle apps, a step toward preventing Apple and Google from controlling how drivers connect smartphones to their cars and trucks.

The non-profit group’s goal is to promote more choice in how smartphones get connected to in-vehicle technologies like dashboard displays and voice recognition, and in another programming, Ford and Toyota said in a joint statement today.

Toyota first agreed to collaborate with Ford on car telematics systems in 2011. The automakers worry that if CarPlay and Android Auto establish themselves as must-have options, the influence of Apple and Google over the industry will grow.

Ford’s version of the SmartDeviceLink technology is already available on five million vehicles globally and provides drivers with popular apps like Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and AccuWeather.