In the near future, all General Motors cars, including its Opel and Vauxhall counterparts, will feature a Greek Australian designed music and radio service.
Called miRoamer, the in-built platform will feature personalised infotainment that will introduce digital radio to cars for the first time.
The Greek Australian creators have been working on the project for over eight years with the hope of connecting more useful and user friendly apps to an integrated dash, moving away from in-phone apps.
The miRoamer radio and music service will be either pre-installed in new General Motors connected vehicles, or available via the soon-to-be-launched General Motors ‘walled garden’ application framework.
The first shipment of connected vehicles is expected to begin in 2014, and will be sold to a global market. General Motors will be making the service available in all models, offering an opt-in option for cheaper models and more expensive models will have it included.
miRoamer director George Parthimos says the company has secured a two year deal with GM, and sees a huge potential for all carmakers to get their customers better connected.
“Connected cars are coming now,” he tells Neos Kosmos.
“It’s like having an iPad on wheels.”
The platform will feature a radio directory, like the popular app Tune In Radio, but will expand to offer premium and subscription services.
For instance, the AFL can come to miRoamer and say specific video and audio content to become available to Holden drivers for a selected time. Something other platforms have not yet mastered.
The service will give customers the chance to tailor their own listening habits, and import their online content, like playlists on platforms like Spotify, Rhapsody and Pandora.
“Satellite navigation, internet radio, weather, facebook, everything will be in your dashboard,” summarises Mr Parthimos.
The company, a completely Greek Australian run project was chosen to be a part of GM’s models thanks to its European and Asian market potential.
GM’s Chief Infotainment Officer Phil Abram says customers are now demanding more connectivity and ask for more in-built applications, like GPS maps and digital radio as a given.
“Today’s new car buyers want the same level of customisation and connectivity out of their cars that they’re accustomed to from handheld electronics,” said Mr Abram.
“By developing an in-vehicle app framework and working with partners like miRoamer, General Motors is dedicated to bringing our owners digital lives into their vehicles.”
MiRoamer will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, as part of the GM stall, with ticket holders getting the chance to road test the platform for themselves.
GM manufactures 12 per cent the world’s cars and is the first to launch miRoamer in their fleet. Mr Parthimos says Volkswagen and Toyota are also in talks to take on the service.
For more information, visit www.miroamer.com