GENIVI Alliance Strengthens Presence in Japanese Automotive Industry

The GENIVI Alliance, an industry association driving the development and adoption of an open In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) reference platform, today announced continued expansion of its membership with the addition of five Japan-based companies — Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Alpine Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer Corporation and Rohm CO, Ltd.

With its 76 years of experience and innovation in the automotive industry, GENIVI Alliance members expect that Nissan will contribute to advancing the development of an open IVI stack through the Alliance. Combined with the support of the growing GENIVI Alliance, these efforts will reduce time-to-market and total cost of ownership for companies developing IVI equipment and software.

GENIVI Alliance members expect that Nissan and these companies will greatly contribute to advancing the development of an open IVI stack through the GENIVI Alliance. Combined with the support of the growing GENIVI Alliance, these efforts will reduce time-to-market and total cost of ownership for companies developing IVI equipment and software.

“As one of the top 10 automotive manufacturers, Nissan represents a new hemisphere of influence for GENIVI,” said Graham Smethurst, GENIVI Alliance president. “Drivers and passengers want a variety of automotive infotainment products and services that give them access to the Internet, their multimedia libraries and location based services while one road,” he continued. “With Nissan’s involvement, the GENIVI Alliance can further collaboration on the common reference platform that will enable the next wave of new and innovative technology solutions around the world.”

The participation of these companies in the Alliance will broaden the consortium’s coverage across Europe, North America, and Japan. Since its founding in March 2009, GENIVI has grown from eight founding members, including BMW Group, Delphi, GM, Intel, Magneti Marelli, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Visteon, and Wind River, to more than 40 members and continues to drive automotive and consumer electronics connectivity, multimedia and performance capabilities through open source adoption.

“Developing automotive applications that easily fit on a standard platform will allow us to provide our customers with exactly what they are looking for with In-vehicle Infotainment to continue Nissan’s legacy of delivering truly innovative vehicles,” said Tsuguo Nobe, general manager, Car Wings, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. “GENIVI’s goal is to enable innovation and differentiation in the automotive industry with an open-source standard.”

“Software is becoming one of the most important factors in developing automotive systems and open source innovation will dramatically change this market,” said Paul Hansen, publisher of the Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics. “As the auto industry strives to keep up with the growing demand from drivers and passengers for In-Vehicle Infotainment products, improving the overall quality of and reusability of software will allow carmakers to bring features to market more quickly and cost effectively and will drive competitive offerings that meet consumers’ needs.”

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is a global automotive company with vehicle sales of 3.7 million in 2008. Nissan is present in all major auto markets worldwide, selling a comprehensive range of cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, and light commercial vehicles.

About GENIVI Alliance

GENIVI Alliance is a non-profit industry association whose mission is to drive the broad adoption of an In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) open source development platform. GENIVI will accomplish this by aligning requirements, delivering reference implementations, offering certification programs and fostering a vibrant open source IVI community. GENIVI is headquartered in San Ramon, Calif. www.genivi.org.