BMW Beats Ford Sync and GM OnStar to Top of New ABI Research OEM Telematics Vendor Matrix Ranking

LONDON--February 28, 2011: BMW AG has been ranked at the top of the latest Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research.

"Despite recent attempts to extend and broaden their offers, Ford (SYNC) and GM (Onstar) remain largely entrenched respectively in their single-minded hybrid/infotainment and proprietary/safety-centric implementations."

Ford and General Motors claimed the second and third spots in the company's most recent evaluation of worldwide OEM telematics vendors.

The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors' positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of innovation and implementation across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix.

Balanced vs Single-Minded

"BMW offers the most balanced approach to the connected car paradigm, combining superior embedded ConnectedDrive technology with smartphone application integration on iOS, Android, and Blackberry," comments practice director Dominique Bonte. "This addresses both safety/security and connected infotainment requirements over a large geographical footprint, while embracing standardization and industry cooperation through BMW's leading role in the GENIVI and NGTP (Next Generation Telematics Pattern) consortia."

Bonte adds, "Despite recent attempts to extend and broaden their offers, Ford (SYNC) and GM (Onstar) remain largely entrenched respectively in their single-minded hybrid/infotainment and proprietary/safety-centric implementations."

Innovation and Implementation

For this particular matrix, under "innovation," ABI Research examined the vendors" offerings in connected infotainment and off-board navigation, emergency calling (eCall) and roadside assistance (bCall), stolen vehicle tracking, immobilization, and recovery, driver behavior monitoring and PAYD insurance, smartphone integration and remote control, concierge services, remote diagnostics, and environmental impact features.

Under "implementation," ABI Research scrutinized the vendors, partnerships, profitability and ability to scale, their subscriber bases and market shares, the number of car models for which the services are available, and pricing. Other criteria included the vendors, overall organizational health, their marketing, branding and communication, their adherence to international standards and the degree to which they embrace open source software approaches, their geographical coverage and international presence, and the overall quality and reliability of their services.

To view a chart showing the rankings of the top ten firms in this Vendor Matrix, please visit Global OEM Telematics Vendor Matrix. Registration on the ABI Research website (free) is required. Access to the profiles of all companies surveyed is available to clients of ABI Research.

This Vendor Matrix forms part of ABI Research's Telematics Research Service.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research's worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through 29 research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.