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FCA USA LLC, the automaker behind Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles, will offer the Uconnect Market as part of its in-dash infotainment systems beginning later this year, the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based company announced Monday.
The new service, which will deploy in the second half of the year as an over-the-air update to 2019 and 2020 Chrysler vehicles that have the latest generation of the company’s 8.4-inch touchscreen, will enable consumers to enroll a credit card in a wallet to use with Uconnect Market partners. Uconnect is FCA USA’s branding for its infotainment systems.
Developed in conjunction with Xevo Inc., which also worked with General Motors Co. on the GM Marketplace and is developing a wallet with Hyundai Motor America, the Uconnect Market will enable consumers to pay for fuel at participating Shell stations. They can use Yelp to find restaurants and make reservations at participating locations. They also will be able to find, book, and pay for parking though ParkWhiz. Domino’s Pizza Inc. is another launch partner. Chevrolet added Domino’s to its GM Marketplace iteration last week.
“Our customers live busy lives, and our goal with the Uconnect platform is to provide an advanced portfolio of services to make their daily drive more convenient, productive and enjoyable,” said Alan D’Agostini, global head of Connected Services, FCA. “This is why we are launching Uconnect Market, as we continue to ramp-up our connectivity efforts around the world with the goal of having all new FCA vehicles connected by 2022.” That goal is part of efforts by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., the global owner of FCA USA, to develop a new connectivity ecosystem for its vehicles.
The market for U.S. in-car commerce is expected to reach as much as $4.2 billion by 2022, Visa Inc. forecasts. On a larger scale, the global potential could be as much as $253 billion by 2025, according to Machina Research, a unit of Gartner Inc., a Stamford, Conn.-based research firm.
