For those of us who follow open source business trends and products, we were blessed with a landmark announcement today from Toyota: the 2018 Camry will feature an entertainment system based on Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), the Linux Foundation collaborative project that counts car makers Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan as members.
This marks the first official in-car infotainment product based on AGL, with others sure to follow. From the announcement:
AGL is an open source project hosted by The Linux Foundation that is changing the way automotive manufacturers build software. More than 100 members are working together to develop a common platform that can serve as the de facto industry standard. Sharing an open platform allows for code reuse and a more efficient development process as developers and suppliers can build once and have a product work for multiple OEMs. This ultimately reduces development costs, decreases time-to-market for new products and reduces fragmentation across the industry.
The Linux Foundation has led the effort to help more industries become collaborative in an effort to become more efficient at product development. The auto industry is a logical choice, because very few people buy a car based on who makes the entertainment system, so why not collaborate on the base functions and innovate on top of that platform?
I’ll be interested to learn more about Toyota’s product development and how they go about putting together the final version that you’ll see in your car. Expect more on this story soon.
