HARMAN International was named FCA Supplier of the Year in the category of Innovation Supplier of the Year during the virtual 2020 North America Annual Supplier Conference and Awards program held on Oct. 23, 2020. The FCA Supplier of the Year awards recognize companies that have shown exceptional commitment to FCA, providing innovative and quality products and services.
“We are proud to be awarded as one of FCA's leading suppliers recognizing our innovative design for Uconnect 5 connected vehicle platform, and indeed are grateful to work alongside the whole team at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles," said Dr. Mike Peters, president of HARMAN's Automotive division. “This partnership will bring customers new levels of exciting, seamless and safe connected infotainment experiences within their vehicles, and we look forward to seeing car-buyers benefit as 2021 vehicles reach dealers."
During the program, FCA recognized 31 supplier partners across a total of 19 categories.
“The transformational changes we made in 2019 built a strong foundation for the wave of product launches coming out of FCA, and today we spotlighted those suppliers who took their work to the next level," said Martin Horneck, Head of Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, FCA - North America. “These are the 'best of the best' in our industry and they will continue playing a leading role in our collective success."
Winners for innovation, sustainability and diversity categories were submitted by the suppliers and vetted by FCA senior leadership. In the Innovation category, FCA leadership assessed a wide variety of strategic partners, ultimately choosing HARMAN for its demonstrated excellence in advanced system design.
The Uconnect 5 is a global platform and will be integrated into a variety of FCA vehicle brands, bringing HARMAN's industry-leading infotainment system to even more drivers. Installed with HARMAN's Firmware-Over-The-Air capabilities, the Uconnect 5 system will ensure each infotainment-equipped FCA vehicle has the latest in security and platform tools. The infotainment system will be supported by the HARMAN Ignite Marketplace, an extensive network of cloud-based applications and services available on the HARMAN Ignite Cloud Platform.
Equipped with connectivity, device management, application enablement, analytics and managed services capabilities, drivers will have ultimate access to their digital personalization, in a secure and safe environment with the Uconnect 5 head unit. Part of a larger in-vehicle infotainment ecosystem encompassing all occupants, Uconnect 5 will ensure that end users can maximize their experience per mile. For more information on the work HARMAN is doing to bring connected driving experiences to the road, visit car.harman.com.