The move towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs) requires a radical new product development strategy and toolkit. Technology is evolving rapidly while development cycles are shrinking and consumer demands are changing. New business models are also emerging, posing both opportunities and challenges for incumbent automakers.
“OEMs are switching to the SDV architecture, which means continuous deployment of software in the vehicle,” says Steve Surhigh, Vice President of Automotive Cloud Solutions for Harman Connected Services. Harman offers a wide suite of products focused on everything from building and validating software and accelerating app development through to smart digital assistants and analysis of how in-car features are used. “We’re giving our OEM partners the tools that can accelerate how they get software into the vehicle and then manage it over the vehicle’s lifetime,” he told Automotive World.
Software shortcuts
With Ready CQuence Loop, Harman offers a shortcut to automotive software creation and validation. Unveiled at CES 2025, this SDV toolchain promises to cut development costs and increase developer productivity, allowing for faster delivery of new vehicle features. Essentially a virtual development environment, it serves as single point of entry for automakers to develop or test software stacks, with Harman handling the complex underlying infrastructure. According to the supplier, users can onboard and begin using preconfigured workspaces in Ready CQuence Loop in just 30 minutes. “Today’s tools for automotive software development and testing are not aligned with modern software development practices,” observed Daniel Lueddecke, Senior Director and Ready CQuence Loop Product Lead at Harman. This is designed to change that.
Similarly, Ready Link Marketplace makes it easier for automakers to offer a tailored selection of in-car apps, services, and features. Consumers can purchase or subscribe to a feature like predictive adaptive cruise control, unlocking new—and often recurring—revenue streams for automakers while also increasing vehicle value over its lifetime. The latest iteration of what was previously the Ignite Store, this unified digital commerce platform now boasts more than 150 apps and features from which automakers can choose.
“Because we are in multiple automakers, we attract more app developers,” explained Surhigh. “At the same time, we leave it to each brand to put their own stamp on it, make it look however they want. By going with this platform they don’t give up the ability to personalise it, but they still benefit from the advantages of having a huge pool of apps.”
Harman has an entire business development team focussed on constantly adding new apps and features. A key area of interest at the moment is streaming content, but it anticipates a wave of gaming features in the future. “We already have a number of games in the store today, but we’re looking to beef that up with more games that draw on your mobile device and use it to interact with the display, like a joystick,” explained Pascal Peguret, Harman Senior Vice President of Connectivity.
Connectivity
Connectivity is at the heart of software-defined mobility, and developments in this space are accelerating. “Connectivity is a major pillar to enabling SDV because it means features can be updated,” Peguret pointed out. “We’ve seen the industry go from 4G to 5G and now satellite.” Harman is now bringing satellite communication to its Ready Connect suite of telematics control units, ensuring vehicles remain connected even in remote areas. Based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2, this enables mobility services such as emergency messaging based on satellite network operator coverage.
Pivotally, connectivity also allows apps in the car to communicate with the cloud. “This allows for the creation of magical experiences for the driver,” said Peguret. Harman is currently focussed on shaping those experiences with contextual awareness and empathy. “Awareness means that we want to make the drivers aware of what’s going on around them, how conscious they are, how focused on the drive,” he explained. Ready Aware is described as a vehicle-to-network software-as-a-service product and adds situational intelligence by delivering alerts, such as time to green- and red-light assist.
When it comes to empathy, the aim is to turn the digital assistant into a helpful, informative friend. At Harman it takes the form of Luna, officially described as an avatar designed to personalise the user’s relationship with the vehicle. “This little avatar knows both the driver and the car, acting like a personal assistant,” Peguret added. Luna is integrated with Harman’s display products, such as Ready Vision QVUE windscreen display, which uses in-plane projection to turn the lower section of the windscreen into a display for important driving and infotainment information.
From projects to products
The above solutions are just a handful of products within Harman’s suite of solutions, but all of them represent a deliberate go-to-market strategy based on the needs of software-defined mobility. Speaking specifically on the supplier’s display at CES 2025, Peguret pointed out: “Everything is a product. That’s not as simple or as obvious as it seems, because the automotive business normally runs in projects.” In a project setup, the automakers specify everything they require, and the suppliers deliver it. “The disadvantage is that this takes forever. The OEM needs to specify things over a long period of time and address various comments from suppliers, then the suppliers have to analyse the comments and submit a quote. There are numerous rounds of negotiations until the supplier starts development work—usually running over a two-years period before the product hits the road.”
That makes for a very long cycle time. With the move to SDV, customers expect much more regular updates. “We offer products developed according to our own spec, on top of which automakers can differentiate,” he emphasised. Christian Sobottka, Harman’s President of Automotive, had previously told Automotive World that roughly 20% of automaker requirements could be brand-differentiated, with the remaining 80% standardised, noting it was already current practice in the mobile phone world. “This is exactly what we are doing,” Sobottka said. “It means you can avoid investing too much time and money [on areas where it doesn’t matter] and instead concentrate on the 20% that is really differentiating. With this approach, you can move much faster.”
Given the rapid developments within automotive software, an off-the-shelf toolkit could become one more necessary ingredient in a software-defined future.
