LG Electronics said Wednesday it will debut its connected car platform -- built in collaboration with multiple global tech companies -- for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 that kicks off in Las Vegas on Jan.7.

The South Korean tech giant is going to demonstrate the latest version of Linux-based car infotainment platform webOS Auto that it has been working on with Qualcomm, Microsoft, Qt and Luxoft.

The company will exhibit a connected car model co-designed by automotive seating supplier Adient at its booth in a bid to offer visitors the experience of a connected car made of its automotive electronics parts and software capabilities.

For the webOS Auto platform, Qualcomm supplied its Snapdragon Automotive Development Platform, widely known as ADP.

Microsoft will showcase an LG-MS Audio Video Navigation System (AVN) at its own booth. The US software giant has integrated LG’s webOS into its Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform with the aim of maximizing the benefits of the infotainment system. 

Another global software firm Luxoft will exhibit a concept car equipped with the LG webOS platform, while Finland-based Qt will introduce its human machine interface for cars.

LG’s connected car platform would come head-to-head with Samsung Electronics’ Digital Cockpit system built in partnership with Harman, the world’s top car infotainment company.

The Digital Cockpit, first unveiled in 2018, runs on Samsung’s Bixby platform that is designed to connect the car with home by enabling the driver to control electronics at home from the car platform.

Yet, unlike Samsung’s connected car platform, LG’s nascent platform seems to focus initially on content services like internet-based radio and video streaming.

“The webOS platform built as an open system together with various system-on-chip companies and software firms is designed to serve as the hub of functions of a connected car,” a company official explained.

LG’s partners also include content companies like iHertRaido, Mapbox and Cerence for provision of a variety of content while in cars.

“LG’s strategy is to create an automotive software ecosystem centering on the webOS Auto platform, bringing in many more global tech companies to join us,” said LG Chief Technology Officer Park Il-pyung.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)