Volkswagen has announced that it will be taking over BlackBerry’s European research and development centre in Bochum, along with 200 staff. Canada-based BB said the German facility oversaw hardware, software and mechanical development, as well as certain testing, certification and quality management responsibilities, without elaborating further.
Blackberry, which aims to get out of the red by its 2016 financial year, acquired QNX in 2010. That company’s software is used by companies such as GM, BMW, Chrysler and VW Group itself in car infotainment systems. Most of the vehicle connectivity development work has been centralised at the QNX Software Systems division in Ottawa, Canada.
The newly-founded Volkswagen Infotainment GmbH will see the Wolfsburg giant further expand its capabilities in vehicle connectivity. With the objective of interlinking vehicles and the surrounding world, the field has seen rapid growth in recent years.
The exchange of info between vehicle and mobile devices is already taking place today, but VW says that in the near future we’ll see things like communication between the car and the driver’s home or office, petrol stations, parking spaces and road infrastructure. The path will ultimately lead to car-to-car communication, making it possible for prompt info of any incidents or obstructions being shared around.
“Connectivity will be a key feature of the car of the future. Many customers are expecting connected vehicles of a new dimension in terms of convenience and road safety. Around the globe, our customers’ aspirations will change rapidly, leading to shortened cycles of innovation for systems and functions. In order to be able to meet these challenges it is necessary for us to broaden and expand our options through additional know-how,” explained Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser, board member of the VW brand.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
“ability for car to car communication”
What I imagine:
Vw Polo:Heyyyy mate!
Vw Golf: hey bro. Rough day bro. I just slap proton preve ass and she’s going to sue.
Vw Polo: No worry bro. They have no resale value.
From Nokia to Blackberry to VW.
Same story in Ulm, from Nokia to e-solutions (Audi) and Continental.
It seems like Nokia is being taken over by the automotive sector. :)
“Blackberry, which aims to get out of the red by its 2016 financial year, acquired QNX in 2010.”
I doubt that Volkswagen will use QNX, as VW is a contributor to the Linux Kernel for a long time already.
Jus like in da smartphone world,Android n ios based platforms will rule
QNX already in Audi, Porsche, Mercedes,VW and 50% of the car market. Apple Car Play also using QNX embeded, only the skin is from Apple. Blackberry/QNX is in the code (backbone of software in connectivity). Android and IOS are too child play, they just put their skin on QNX for connectivity, security and reliability. QNX is base on the latest HTML 5, a very mature web language.