An in-car infotainment specialist that has seen its products used in more than 180 million vehicles is coming out of the backroom shadows to offer motorists a totally new experience.
German company Cinemo claims to be behind many of the vehicle manufacturers’ infotainment systems currently used in the U.S.
This year in Europe, the company partnered with Škoda to bring a native Spotify experience to Škoda Enyaq models with software versions 4.x and 5.x and all Elroq models, offering drivers and passengers access to music, podcasts and audiobooks directly from the vehicle’s infotainment system, per a Feb. 17 release.
Meanwhile, Cinemo integrated its CARS Online Video into Renault’s new Filante model marketed by Renault Korea in Asian markets, it announced in a Jan. 15 release.
The company also displayed its latest technology at CES in Las Vegas eariler this year, demonstrating its AI-powered Cinemo ICO intelligent cockpit solution. It’s a cloud-based system that claims to provide seamless in-car experiences by connecting vehicle, driver, passengers and their digital needs into one personal and context-aware flow.
The system builds on the company’s expertise in delivering cloud-based services using its in-vehicle infortainment middleware technology, Cinemo Core, which works on any operating system or system-on-a-chip.
Now the company has stepped out of the shadows of the infotainment systems and launched its Bring Your Own Device app.
BYOD allows users to bring their own Android smartphone or tablet into the car and easily connect with the infotainment system of the car, via NFC or QR code. This allows passengers to use their own media content in the car, or to use their devices as a type of remote control for many functions in the car, for example, to set the climate control zone-by-zone or seat-by-seat.
And it’s not just for the driver, any vehicle occupant, even if they are new users in car-sharing situations or with friends who have never been in the car before, can connect with the system using an Android device.
However, the potential for the system to deliver a branded experience is what is attracting the attention of U.S.-focused automakers, Tristan Kleiner, vice president-legal and director of business development, said during a WardsAuto interview at Cinemo’s headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany.
“We're working with numerous OEMs in the U.S. In fact, it's harder to find a brand we don't work with,” said Kleiner. But with so many using the same harmonized Google-powered platforms, differentiation between brands is becoming ever more important, he added.
“This differentiation can come, on the one hand, to integration of more personalized, more contextualized experiences, like you have seen on the AI space,” Kleiner said. “Really, having the best solution for media identification or for media organization, or for media playback in general, our product is something that is really resonating in the U.S.”
Each automaker can tailor the Cinemo experience to deliver the features consumers in different market sectors demand, he said.
“We want the OEM to pick and choose what he really wants and what really fits his customer problem,” Kleiner added.
