"Microsoft is expected to announce Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea, that it will develop a version of its Microsoft Auto software for the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the world's fifth-largest automaker.
Microsoft already has a deal with the Ford Motor Company for its Sync system, which uses voice activation technology to operate cellphones and play digital music.
With both Ford and Hyundai as customers, Microsoft's software could potentially be put into more than eight million vehicles worldwide each year. Its competitors include OnStar from General Motors, Johnson Controls and QNX Software Systems from Harman International.
Systems based on Microsoft Auto are available in Fiat Group vehicles in Europe and South America, as well as in 12 Ford models in North America.
Microsoft Auto will first appear in Hyundai vehicles in North America in 2010, said Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft's automotive business unit. Subsequent versions will give drivers voice control over navigation systems and video entertainment, in addition to cellphones and digital music players.
The Hyundai deal suggests that Microsoft may be achieving the critical mass it needs to encourage other companies to create links to its auto software, in much the same way that third parties create software applications to run on Windows-based PCs. "
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