Tata Motors, which is India’s No. 3 passenger vehicle maker by volumes has deepened its association with Harman Automotive – a key technology supplier – that has been instrumental in enabling in-vehicle infotainment system over the last decade in its cars such as the Tiago, Tigor, Nexon, Punch, Harrier, and Safari.
The automaker has adopted the Harman Ignite Store as its new in-vehicle app store that claims to bring easily accessible, reliable, and safe mobility experiences to more customers by virtue of its compliance with Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) that connects OEMs with developers to provide customers unique in-vehicle digital experiences.
While consumers will be able to connect their favourite digital services such as Amazon Music, Spotify, AccuWeather, Webex, and ChargeHub, among others through an intuitive, safe, and secure application interface inside the vehicle infotainment system, the Ignite Store will also enable OEMs and app developers to realise lucrative digital revenue streams through new business models.
The app store will allow Tata Motors to offer a stand-out and personalised driver experience to its customers. In its recent range of EVs – Nexon EV and Punch EV – the Harman Ignite Store is driving the Arcade.ev built-in app suite inside these all-electric Tata Motors models. Harman Automotive says the list of applications offered inside the Arcade.ev suite will keep expanding, with its initial content partners including the likes of Gaana, Jio Saavn, Jio Pages, Dash Radio, Treble FM, and gaming as well as video apps, among others.
“Our relationship with Harman allows us to keep customers connected to the content that is most important to them, while also delivering experiences that enhance their drive. Our customers want to bring their digital lives along with them on the road, and with the Harman Ignite Store, our Nexon EV and Punch EV models seamlessly deliver those attributes,” said Anand Kulkarni, Chief Product Officer for EVs, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility.
According to Jens Beckmann, Senior Director, Harman Ignite Store, Harman International, “We are delighted to collaborate with Tata Motors and bring India’s first integrated in-vehicle app store.”
Unlocking monetisation potential
With the growing dependence on high-on-convenience features, particularly related to predictive maintenance, customers are likely to be driven towards paying for the activation of such features in the future. In an earlier interaction with Autocar Professional, Nikhil Iyer, VP, Software Engineering, Digital Cockpit, Harman India, said, “The consumer has become more tech-savvy, and demanding, and is now looking for more life-size experiences within the automobile. Vehicle owners want their commutes to be more enriching, be it through entertainment, information dissemination, or by enabling productivity on the go. Therefore, the car must recognise their needs, and smartly address them by virtue of hyper-personalisation.”
As per Harman Automotive, the Ignite Store is designed to meet the rigorous demands and standards of the automotive environment. It brings OEMs and Android developers together to make in-vehicle experiences easily accessible, reliable, and safe, while providing parties the opportunity to monetise these high-quality experiences throughout the vehicle lifetime.
With growing adoption of Android Automotive OS, Harman Automotive says the apps developed for the platform can be ported to any other AAOS platform to maximise the returns on investment. Furthermore, the app store supports a variety of payment use cases such as one-time app purchases, subscriptions, and services by integrating with OEM payment platforms.
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