Renault-Nissan, Microsoft team up to develop next-gen mobility

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft Corp. have signed a global, multi-year contract last September to develop next generation technology for connected services. This new partnership aims to build best-in-class infotainment and location-based services that will give their customers better mobility and productivity.

Renault-Nissan will make use of Microsoft’s intelligent cloud technology called Azure on their future autonomous vehicles. This will allow their customers to stay connected to work, social media networks, and entertainment on a single platform with enterprise-grade security.

Furthermore, future owners of Renault-Nissan autonomous vehicles will be able to experience innovative technologies. These would include transferring driver profiles, tracking and disabling a stolen car, over-the-air software updates, automatic toll/parking payment from the car, and distant vehicle monitoring.

A car is becoming increasingly connected, intelligent and personal. Partnering with Microsoft allows us to accelerate the development of the associated key technologies needed to enable scenarios our customers want and build all-new ones they haven’t even imagined. We aim to become the provider of connected mobility for everyone with one single global platform,” said Ogi Redzic, Renault-Nissan Alliance senior vice-president, Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is the longest-running transnational partnership between two major manufacturers in the automotive industry. It aims to develop connectivity technologies and features of affordable autonomous vehicles by 2020.