Ford: Internet thinking speed

In the GMIC venue where Baidu has also been surrounded by a large number of startup companies, Ford has come back. Like last year, Ford insisted that he was a "technology company" - don't talk about cars with the brothers, outdated.

John Ellis, Ford's global technologist and development project leader, excitedly appeared after a marathon and spirited old man, pointing to the scenes of the video collaboration between Ford and Baidu technicians, and vowed to promise that the Ford SmartDeviceLink open source platform has been The strategic cooperation with Baidu and Gaode, from last year's Applink open API interface, to the opening of the underlying code this year, is definitely the earliest among car manufacturers, the most open source platform, and access to Internet thinking.

John even ridiculed himself for this, "I'm not a car guy." He said he only knew that his car was a Ford Explorer, drinking gasoline, and nothing more. John, born in Motorola, seems to also represent some car companies in recent years, employing ideas: Since the Internet thinking in the car system uploaded superb, the person in charge here, first of all can not be a decent and decent, it is better to let the Internet coffee and IT elite become the new darling.

So what the car once did not have can now have.

The speed of the eyelids, moving surprise

Regardless of being Internetized and only talking about being infected by the Internet, the proportion of immunized people may be lower than the chance of welcoming white, rich, and beautiful people with tricolor balls. Therefore, the impact of Internet thinking on products and people is both bidirectional and wide-ranging. The product metabolism cycle that we can accept has been getting shorter and shorter, and today's unsatisfactory, and the delay to the third day is that the death of this product is coming.

Fortunately and unfortunately, this needle is also in the car. For the sluggish car companies, this passive stimulant is really a "surprise." The car is too slow? Is it possible for the car to give up control on the Internet?

Although there are already cross-border leaders such as John (the head of the General Motors China Networking Co., Ltd. also seems to be John) to lead the car company's vehicle-mounted system development project, the car is still frequently compared with Internet hardware and software products. Simply replacing the product and optimizing the speed, obviously, this is a problem that all the car manufacturers cannot solve for the time being.

"In a year, from 9 apps to 12, isn't... too little?"

John should not have heard this kind of problem for the first time. He said that after all, the car may be the most expensive consumer product, and it is related to life. Therefore, the top priority for car manufacturers is always safety. Whether it is Applink, SDL platform selection of the App team, or the choice between touch screens, buttons, are based on a large number of security tests made after the decision. Reliance on complex and rigorous processes to ensure safety is almost a common practice for all car manufacturers. The speed of evolution of Internet products is exciting, but such a surprise car may be difficult to copy.

Xia Yiping, Ford's Asia-Pacific vehicle connection service manager, added: "Some people will think that there are no small teams in the open source platform. They are big companies like Gaode, Baidu and Tencent. In fact, this is the initial stage of Ford's open-source code. The technical force can help Ford verify the stability of the API, so that when the small team joins in the middle and late period, there will be no problem."

SDL, setting standards? Or push it together

According to Ford's official announcement, SmartDeviceLink belongs to the open source version of the SYNC Applink platform. Since then, some APIs have been opened, and the underlying code has now been opened to the App team to better resolve compatibility issues. The SDL project was operated by Ford and operated by the GENIVI Alliance, a non-profit organization.

Ford has formed an SDL partnership with Gaode and Baidu. On the one hand, it hopes to use the advantages and product promotion of the two in China to better complete the application promotion of the open source platform; on the other hand, it will be slightly stronger. The argument is that Baidu and Gaode will jointly improve the SDL R&D and standardization work under the open source framework.

The latter, in some interpretations, was described as Ford’s hope to establish the standardization of the automotive system in the Chinese automotive market through Gaode and Baidu.

This interpretation, based on John's interview, first of all there are two reasons to support:

First, there are incompatible systems and applications for different car brands. Ford's open source platform is designed to be compatible.

Second, Ford does not prevent the inflow of Internet company products, such as Carplay, etc., and the open source platform will do its best to support all products.

The direct result of these two points may encourage other car companies to adopt a more open attitude to gradually accept the rapid development from the software system. The convenience brought by open source will also break the brand's flaws.

Of course, you noticed that using push is more appropriate here. First of all, regardless of the car company's current car products are varied, is the Tencent and Baidu cooperation with Ford is not idle. CarNet, one of the Baidu hardware platform projects, is also building a light application platform. The Tencent Road Po Box (will be bright and wooden) will use OBD to explore the possibility of driving and socializing. Internet companies are not only the right hand and the left hand, but also the first-hand car companies themselves. They are likely to be Avalokitesvara. Naturally, there can be only one kind of gesture that can be performed.

The business model you say is not what I say business model

For an App team, the biggest question is, what is it for me to work hard for Ford to develop an app based on the SDL framework? What can I get again?

To expand the scope, in addition to participating SDL open source software designers, Ford also launched the Open XC hardware open source project, opening up some automotive data to design products that can avoid congestion. And these potential future participants will also face the above question: What is the business model Ford can provide?

Before talking about this issue, we added: What is Ford's business model? Responded: Selling cars. What is the purpose of open source? There are more applications to introduce, increase attractiveness and service range, and then sell cars.

Perhaps you can understand here that the relationship between the App team and Ford is an exchange of attractiveness and platform position. Ford did not put money transactions or business models into it. The App team's application will remain under the original Ford models, and Ford will rely on the user promotion brought by these apps to drive sales.

As for the business model covered by the App itself, it will be a direct connection between the App team and the user. Ford is not involved as a platform provider. So, the business model you say may not be Ford's business model. For a company that is still not well-known, if you lack a large number of user bases for Baidu, Gaode, and Tencent, you should at least have three things in mind when you use App to enter the automotive industry:

First, Ford will conduct multiple assessments of the safety of the App, that is, the app's development requirements in the driving environment are not the same as those used in mobile phones.

The second is how to create a business model between App and users;

The third is how much App's own value-added and optimization space.

For open source, it is both an open platform and an opportunity to bring together creativity. At the same time, it is also an unclear and unclear business challenge. The automotive industry is even worse.

The Ford SDL open source project, for Internet applications, is a channel that can get into the car faster, so there is open source; and how the application integration will break through the Ford Applink screen can only show the "Xing XX" four-word scripture, This is the struggle of Internet thinking and security, this can have; Finally, to achieve a star-studded Internet products, tailor-made, extremely vigorous metabolism, Oh, this, it will take time.