AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- DGE, an FEV North America, Inc. company, announced the release of its infotainment / telematics benchmarking study. It's believed that this is the first attempt to apply objective benchmarking to the infotainment / telematics industry. Dr. Joachim Wolschendorf, President and CEO of DGE, Inc., made the announcement.

"Infotainment and telematics systems are quickly becoming a primary decision making criteria as younger consumers begin buying cars," said Wolschendorf. "The evaluation of system performance is currently highly subjective. Given the importance of consumer decision-making on the overall choice to buy or not buy a vehicle, there is a need for objectivity – both in the target-setting phase as well as in the testing and evaluation phase, of today's infotainment and telematics systems. This study provides that objectivity."

DGE, an FEV company, has combined its extensive development and testing expertise in the connected vehicle space with the proven benchmarking methods of FEV.  This effort created the first known application of an independent and quantitative benchmarking evaluation of infotainment and telematics systems in the North American market.

The study was released at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, and the results were profound in the sense that highly unanticipated conclusions were drawn.  When shown to Tier suppliers and OE customers, the benchmarking study generated a significant reaction.  According to one customer, "This is the first quantitative performance information we have seen for telematics functionality.  That is exactly what we need to assess our own system, and to set targets for our own development."

This newly developed service offering from DGE/FEV not only allows an OEM or Tier supplier to quantitatively compare its system with competitors on an attribute-by-attribute basis, but, because the evaluation strategy is objective, it provides useful information about how much improvement is necessary, in each attribute area, to become best-in-class.

To illustrate the results, DGE/FEV have included two data plots that provide examples of two attributes, shown for four different vehicles that clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of an objective benchmarking study. They also demonstrate two interesting findings of the benchmarking study – 1) one should not expect that performance improves for systems in more expensive vehicle platforms, i.e., no or poor correlation between performance and price, and 2) there are, in many cases, large and significant differences in performance between vehicle systems. 

About DGE
Founded in 1984, DGE develops hardware and software for automotive control modules and automated test systems. Its capabilities also include the validation and testing for components and connected vehicle systems that must stand up to the rigors of daily use in vehicles. For the infotainment and telematics space, DGE develops applications for intelligent vehicles that can communicate beyond in-vehicle systems, including infotainment systems that connect with external devices such as iPods and smart phones, and applications that interface with smart traffic intersections as part of the Intelligent Transportation System.

About FEV
The FEV Group is an internationally recognized powertrain and advanced vehicle systems company that supplies the global transportation industry.  FEV offers a complete range of engineering services, providing support across the globe to customers in the design, analysis, prototyping, powertrain and transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV also designs, develops and prototypes advanced vehicle / powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards.  The FEV Test Systems division is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment.  The FEV Group employs a staff of over 2,800 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on three continents.  FEV North America, Inc. employs over 400 personnel in its North American Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.

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SOURCE FEV North America, Inc.