The alternative to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes from Europe

In the middle of Germany, in a Ludwigsburg as torrid as it is silent in this anomalous summer, the European automotive sector is trying to make a last-ditch effort to rewrite its destiny to stay in the saddle of a sector in which competition is increasingly armed and determined. In the pleasant Teutonic location, therefore, eleven of the main names in the local industry have gathered – among which BMW , Mercedes-Benz , Volkswagen Group , Bosch, Continental and ZF Friedrichshafen stand out – who have put aside age-old rivalries and signed a memorandum of understanding: a pact of steel, to fight against the American Big Tech from Apple to Google .

A card with an enormous weight

The German coalition calls this project “ code-first approach” . It is an attempt to resist the silent, methodical and pervasive advance of American Big Tech, as anticipated. Google is the main target, since with Android Automotive OS and Google Automotive Services it has already climbed on board some Volvo and Ford models.

So, the choice to join together comes directly from the will of the VDA, the German association of the automotive industry, which has chosen to fight the software war starting from home. The alliance aims to create an open-source infrastructure that allows manufacturers to develop the fundamental digital components more quickly, to then focus on the distinctive functions of each brand. In this way, competition is not frightening, because they stand shoulder to shoulder with a common ultimate goal: to resist and grow.

How the project unfolds

The cornerstone of this ambitious project is what has been dubbed S-Core , an acronym for “ Safety Open Vehicle Core” , an open-source architecture released last June 12 under the aegis of the Eclipse Foundation. This is the first truly shared platform designed for “ software-defined ” vehicles.

With S-Core, companies will be able to build a common, safe and reliable backbone on which to graft their ideas. The car returns to being an operating system in motion , in which different styles, comfort and dynamics are combined with an identical brain for everyone. It is no coincidence that the word “ alliance ” has returned to the forefront. This project brings to mind post-war Germany, where reconstruction took place through consortia, industrial unions and shared codes.

The goals to achieve

The goal is clear: by 2026, mass-produce a common platform for autonomous driving , capable of competing with the full-stack packages developed by Waymo, Apple, Amazon and Baidu. It is necessary, however, to do so on an open basis, avoiding being held hostage by licenses, subscriptions and closed interfaces.

The opening, after all, is also geographical. The alliance does not stop at the Rhine: it is open to suppliers and manufacturers from the rest of Europe, then, who knows, in the future the borders could also be opened to the USA and China. Because the software war knows no customs borders, and any delay can cost light years in a market where technology travels faster than regulations.

Those who read this agreement as a defensive gesture are perhaps mistaken. It is a decisive step towards counterattack. In a cosmos where even the German (and European) car risks becoming the main course of “ foreign ” systems, industrial Germany chooses not to be just a customer, but also an architect of its own product. After all, the engine is no longer the basis of everything, intelligent software is needed to change the commercial destiny of a car. Tradition is not enough, now we need to innovate.