New HARMAN Ignite Store Payments and Expanded Partner Ecosystem Unlock Advanced In-Cabin App Experiences

HARMAN today introduced HARMAN Ignite Store Payments, the first payment product introduced to the HARMAN Ignite Store, along with an expanded ecosystem of HARMAN Ignite Store partners across diverse sectors. HARMAN Ignite Store products and partnerships come together to provide comprehensive in-vehicle experiences for both OEMs and consumers.

HARMAN Ignite Store Payments not only integrates with OEM wallets and supports multiple payment service providers, but also allows automakers to monetize and maintain control of commercial relationships with customers. The new product is powered by Samsung Checkout, which executes millions of transactions a day and has been tested and built to enable secure transactions at a global scale. It is the same payment system integrated into Samsung’s TVs to make online purchases and the Galaxy Store, Samsung’s official app store.

“Consumers want to bring their digital lifestyles into the vehicle with seamless integration and the HARMAN Ignite Store does just that,” said Jens Beckmann, Senior Director of HARMAN Ignite Store, HARMAN International. “It brings OEMs and Android developers together to make in-vehicle experiences easily accessible, reliable and safe, while providing OEMs and developers the opportunity to monetize these high-quality experiences throughout the lifetime of the vehicle.”

HARMAN Ignite Store’s Expanded Partner Ecosystem
Alongside HARMAN Ignite Store Payments, HARMAN is announcing several new industry collaborations across key industries to enable more content, features and increased vehicle safety and connectivity. Within the HARMAN Ignite Store, OEMs have access to a curated list of more than 70 safe and secure apps to enrich the in-cabin experience, with newly available apps including:

• ChargePoint: The ChargePoint app offers a seamless charging experience while on the road through the HARMAN Ignite Store. Users can find charging stations in the ChargePoint network, start a charging session, and pay, adding convenience to EV ownership.
• Vector Unit: The partnership between Vector Unit and HARMAN Ignite Store brings an additional avenue for infotainment — in-vehicle gaming. Users can now play popular games like Beach Buggy Racing directly in their in-vehicle displays.
• Telenav: Novo, a new driver safety app from connected car software provider Telenav is now available through the HARMAN Ignite Store. Novo monitors driving habits and encourages safe driving via safety alerts, challenges and rewards. This uniquely automotive-first use case was tailor-made for the HARMAN Ignite Store.

In addition to the new apps now available through the HARMAN Ignite Store, HARMAN will be showcasing additional app providers on the CES show floor, demonstrating the breadth of content available within the platform. They include:

• Cisco: For professionals, driving can sacrifice precious collaboration time, especially when companies abandon traditional conference lines for virtual meeting tools. Now, Cisco with the HARMAN Ignite Store aims to address the needs of hybrid workers. A new integration between the companies allows for seamless and safe collaboration using the Webex app when moving from the vehicle to and from the office, home and everywhere in between.
• Mavi: Offering dashboard commerce through the HARMAN Ignite Store, Mavi.io OnMyWay™ Commerce brings safe, easy, curated shopping to the dashboard of consumers’ connected cars creating a seamless cross-platform (home-to-car) retail experience.
• The Weather Channel: The HARMAN Ignite Store is also investing in keeping customers well-informed while on the open road. Customers can now stay updated on weather conditions along their route with hourly forecasts, alerts, and radar maps from The Weather Channel app.

“As the software company of Volkswagen Group, we are proud to be the first adopter of the HARMAN Ignite Store. From the start, it has represented a significant leap towards creating an open ecosystem for all Volkswagen brands. Now, the current 3rd party portfolio in our application store offers a new digital experience for the brand’s customers, and continually adds new services to our vehicles on the road,” says Matthias Ostermeier, Head of Volkswagen Group Application Store at CARIAD. “The addition of an integrated payment feature will give us the opportunity to expand these digital experiences even further. It opens up exciting new possibilities for digital business ventures.”

The HARMAN Ignite Store also works seamlessly with the new HARMAN Ready Vision QVUE, enabling push notifications of the driver’s choosing onto the Ready Vision display. And, because they are from HARMAN, each product is designed to meet the rigorous demands and standards of the automotive environment — a value proposition that HARMAN calls ‘Consumer Experiences. Automotive Grade.’

For more information on the HARMAN Ignite Store, including specific platform capabilities, visit https://car.harman.com/solutions/harman-ignite/store. For more information on all HARMAN’s latest partnerships, products and the experiences they deliver, visit the CES 2024 media kit.