Renault-Nissan and Microsoft partner to develop connected car technologies

The Renault-Nissan alliance and Microsoft Corp today, announced a multi-year partnership to develop next-generation connected car technologies.

Powered by Microsoft Azure, one of the companies’s intelligent cloud offerings, the new services will improve customer experience via advanced navigation, predictive maintenance and vehicle-centric services, remote monitoring of car features, external mobile experiences and over-the-air updates, the companies said in a release today.

The move is aimed at developing connectivity technologies and features to support the launch of more than 10 vehicles with autonomous driving technology by 2020. The Renault-Nissan Alliance intends to spearhead autonomous driving and connectivity features on mainstream, mass-market vehicles at affordable rates.

The partnership will accelerate development of best-in-class infotainment and location-based services that will:

Allow customers to personalise and protect their settings: Customers will be able to customise their settings knowing that data is safe and that they have the option to transfer the settings from one car to another, or lock them and disable transfer. By adding a driver-centric experience in the car, the drive becomes personal and allows for things like adaptive route suggestions and advanced navigation.

Boost Productivity: With Microsoft, Renault-Nissan will expand the realm of productivity into the car – transforming daily commute into a productive experience by seamlessly integrating the digital experiences present at work and life into the car.

Give access to over-the-air updates: Customers will be able to download over-the-air updates to, for example, have the latest autonomous drive software and collision-avoidance applications.

Help customers stay in touch: Customers will be able to easily check in and communicate their estimated time of arrival, or alert friends to a change of plans. They will also be able to use automatic payment from the car for highway tolls or parking, with a simple touch from the comfort of their seat.

Monitor the car from a distance: Car owners will be able to monitor their car from anywhere, through their mobile phone or laptop. They could transfer control to a friend or relative who needs their car – without transferring the physical key. They will use a mobile application to help them find the car, trigger remote charging and preconditioning, and lock and unlock the car.

Protect the vehicle: Tracking software locates a stolen car and disables it at the next practical opportunity. “Geo fencing” technology creates invisible fences around the car that will enable notifications when the car enters or exits a predefined area or route.

Improve the vehicle experience: By adding connectivity, customers will be able to access advance vehicle diagnostic services, allowing the car manufacturer to deliver unique features. Collecting real usage data will also support vehicle engineering to improve manufacturing quality.