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Automakers are putting pancakes in your car, when all you want is a parking spot

The Dashboard Act was introduced June 24 in Congress by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Its name notwithstanding, it isn’t about cars. Rather, “Dashboard” is an acronym for “Designing Accounting Safeguards to Help Broader Oversight and Regulations on Data.” The purpose of the act is to make sure that companies disclose to consumers how their data is being used by companies like Facebook and Google — how their data is being monetized. Oddly enough, the Dashboard Act does have something to do with automotive companies, too. Why? Because OEMs have determined that people have plenty of time on their hands when driving — much of which is just sitting in traffic (according to the 2018 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, U.S. drivers sit for an average of 97 hours last year). So what better thing to do than shop? And presumably, like credit-card companies, theyÂ’re benefiting from facilitating commerce. Coincidentally, also on June 24 FCA announced it is launching Uconnect Market, an in-vehicle commerce platform. Explained Alan DÂ’Agostini, FCA's global head of connected services, “Our customers live busy lives, and our goal with the Uconnect platform is to provide an advanced portfolio of services to make their daily drive more convenient, productive and enjoyable. “This is why we are launching Uconnect Market, as we continue to ramp-up our connectivity efforts around the world with the goal of having all new FCA vehicles connected by 2022.” Uconnect Market, which will begin rolling out this year, allows people to buy things like DominoÂ’s Pizza and Shell gasoline and make reservations through Yelp via the touchscreen in the vehicle. This is similar to GMÂ’s Marketplace, which it introduced at the end of 2017. This allows you to order from ApplebeeÂ’s, Starbucks, TGI Fridays, ExxonMobil, Wingstop, and even book travel on Priceline.com. And in keeping with the third company in the Detroit Three, Ford offers the Amazon Alexa App, which provides a variety of functions from controlling smart devices in oneÂ’s home to, for Amazon Prime members (of which there are estimated to be more than 100 million in the U.S.), ordering organic kale from Whole Foods. All through your dashboard. Earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BMW Group introduced “BMW Natural Interaction,” a system that combines voice, gestures and even gaze to interact with the vehicle.

FCA and iPhone maker plan Chinese electric vehicle joint venture

MILAN — Italian American automaker Fiat Chrysler and Taiwan's Hon Hai plan to set up a joint venture to manufacture electric vehicles and to engage in the business of wirelessly connected vehicles, Hon Hai said on Thursday. Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Hon Hai are negotiating to set up a 50-50 joint venture, Hon Hai said in a statement. It added Hon Hai would hold its 50% share both directly and indirectly and that its direct shareholding would not exceed 40%. Hon Hai is the parent of Foxconn, the Chinese assembler of Apple iPhones. FCA last month reached a binding agreement for a $50 billion tie-up with France's PSA that will create the world's No. 4 carmaker. The joint venture with Hon Hai will produce vehicles for the Chinese market, but many details of the accord are still to be worked out, one source close to the matter said, adding that a final deal was expected to be signed in the coming months. Foxconn has been investing heavily in a variety of future transportation ventures for several years, including Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride services giant, and Chinese electric vehicle startups Byton and Xpeng. Foxconn also has invested in Chinese battery giant CATL and a variety of other mostly Chinese transportation tech start-ups. FCA will launch its first full-electric model - the 500 small car - this year. Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan, additional reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Chrysler to veer away from 'Imported From Detroit' message?

Claim some ground, control that ground and then expand. Chrysler, wandering the Earth like Kane from Kung-Fu when it came to brand message after the bailouts, pulled off the first two feats in only 120 seconds when its "Imported from Detroit" commercial aired during the 2011 Super Bowl. Two years later and now that the brand has a center in the minds of consumers, the Chrysler Group's head of marketing, Olivier Francois, says it's time to move away from the "Detroit" component of that slogan and express the "Imported" aspect.
It is, more precisely, about positioning Chrysler as genuine competition for imports and not Ford or General Motors, but rather Toyota on quality or Audi on technology. A report in Forbes said that Francois not only "wants to attract import owners to Chrysler vehicles by focusing on quality, technology, fuel economy and style," but to "take back the lead in these four things." That is the new understanding he wants people to infer from the idea of Detroit - that the nation's car capital isn't just a patriotic rallying point but a lively competitor for established giants.
Chrysler has been running ads that no longer refer to Detroit, and recent efforts have linked a specific character to each brand - like Jenny with Jeep and Steven with the Chrysler 300 - to create brand separation. Francois hasn't detailed what he plans to do to bolster Chrysler's upscale pretensions, but his efforts would be helped by CEO Sergio Marchionne loosing the pursestrings and the arrival of strong new product.