EPM Podcast: New Ways the Automotive Ecosystem is Personalizing the Consumer Experience

Our latest HARMAN Experiences Per Mile podcast features EPM Advisory Council Member Anthony Landamia, Director of Product Management at Xperi.

Consumers today expect their digital life to extend to every facet of the driving experience. In this new episode, guest host Jeffrey Hannah, Chief Commercial Officer of the research analyst firm SBD Automotive, chats with Landamia about the future of the digital cabin.

Landamia discusses new ways that car manufacturers can differentiate themselves and deliver unique, personalized digital experiences to both drivers and passengers. Through combining technologies like in-cabin sensing and media, the in-vehicle experience can become an adaptive, predictive and elevated space. Hannah and Landamia also discuss the outlook for connected personalization with the growth of EVs and autonomous driving.

The New Battlefield

In-cabin is emerging as the new battlefield for customer loyalty with car manufacturers competing on the interior experience. Xperi delivers a wide range of technologies that enable OEMs to win with customers through unmatched entertainment, comfort and safety solutions.

Xperi elevates content and how audiences connect with it in a way that is more intelligent, immersive and personal. Solutions are powered by a combination of best-in-class technologies and products including DTS^®, HD Radio^TM, IMAX Enhanced^® and TiVo^®. TiVo revolutionized TV with the first on-screen guide and commercially viable DVR while DTS and its masterful sound changed the motion picture experience forever with the release of “Jurassic Park.”

The company completed its spinoff in late 2022 to become an independent publicly traded entity on the New York Stock Exchange. Xperi has aggressive growth plans and a market engagement model that allows automotive OEMs the opportunity to brand the experience, retain customer ownership and actively participate in long-term revenue generation.

Sound Solutions

From crystal-clear, subscription-free digital radio to AI-powered, in-cabin sensing, Xperi seeks to transform the connected car experience with high-quality, personalized multimedia.

Available in more than 400 car models and fifty automotive brands in North America alone, HD Radio improves on already established technology – allowing broadcasters to air more channels over their frequency, all with high-definition sound. Consumers will enjoy more stations with better sound and no subscription.

DTS AutoStage^TM technology turbocharges the radio experience for the connected car. The content-first experience takes the digital dashboard to new levels with relevant features like high-res artist imagery, album information, lyrics and more.

The global in-vehicle infotainment platform is designed for immersive and unified media. Armed with the content rich experience of TiVo, DTS AutoStage technology fully leverages radio, audio and video content for a personalized, next-generation consumer experience.

With a pipeline of releases and rollouts, Xperi offers OEM design and software teams an easy path to develop entertainment and content delivery in-house as well as a way to brand and monetize the in-vehicle experience.

A Safe Third Space

Interest for in-cabin sensing and intelligent interior technology is soaring considering upcoming regulations and market demand for improved safety. Xperi’s DTS AutoSenseTM solution creates safe and personalized mobile experiences with invaluable insights on drivers, passengers, children and pets.

Pioneering in-cabin technology includes single-camera driver and occupant sensing solutions. Powered by machine learning and imaging at the edge, DTS AutoSense technology transforms the cabin into a place of refuge – a safe third space outside of work or home to relax, enjoy hobbies and escape stress.

And the more you use it, the better it gets. The in-cabin experience evolves to address both internal and external stimuli. The intelligent car takes inputs from exterior and interior sensors and adjusts the interior of the cabin to match the situation and your state of mind.

Picture your smart car bringing up your favorite morning talk show as you head out on your day or your child’s must-have music on the trip home from school. “The car has the intelligence to know you, your mood and the situation, and bring you to your happy place,” notes Landamia.

Final Words

Xperi’s technology is aligned with the industry and shaping the future of it. “As we move into Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous driving, we can bring video content right into the vehicle center stack – which has been off limits up until now,” Landamia comments.

Ultimately, consumers will be the judge of advances in new technology. Beyond rating features and functions, they will evaluate the experience. Xperi is proud to be a member of the EPM Advisory Council as the group advances the use of the EPM Index, a rating system that differentiates across trip types and various vehicle models. The new metric allows consumers to compare individual vehicles based on how well they may help meet various trip needs.

The deployment of the EPM Index will help automakers and partners like Xperi design experiences that matter throughout the customer journey.

About Landamia

Anthony Landamia is Director of Product Management at Xperi where he is responsible for Connected Car products, leading the future of connectivity for the company. Landamia has more than 30 years of experience in developing and launching innovative products that enhance consumers’ ability to interface with technology across the consumer and automotive electronics industries. He previously led Subaru’s Connected Car Product Planning and Business Strategy team and served in a similar role as the head of product management for Mercedes-Benz USA Telematics & Infotainment group, where he developed and launched several innovative industry-first products. Landamia has held similar senior roles in product management and engineering at Sirius Satellite Radio, Lucent Technologies, BMW USA and Sony Electronics.

About the EPM Podcast

Now in its fourth year with nearly 9,000 listens, the EPM Podcast has engaged audiences with thoughtful conversations among industry leaders to fuel consumer innovation through cross-industry collaboration. Karen Piurkowski, Global Automotive Marketing Director for HARMAN, is the host for the Experiences Per Mile Advisory Council, with guest host Jeffery Hannah.

This is the seventh podcast where EPM Advisory Council Members have spoken about topics surrounding the next decade of mobility transformation and the consumer experience. The podcast is available on car.harman.com, explore.harman.com and experiencespermile.org and is distributed through major podcast providers. Learn more by listening to the podcast today! Click here for episode 27.

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to the Experiences Per Mile podcast today on your favorite podcast channel, and don’t forget to share it with your customers, colleagues and friends! We will be creating more episodes in the year to come with HARMAN thought leaders, EPM Advisory Council Members and other industry experts.

Catch up on past EPM Advisory Council episodes:

Episode 11 – How is enterprise software accelerating Experiences Per Mile?
Episode 12 – Can the Experience Per Mile promise be optimized via location technology?
Episode 13 – What’s the Experience Per Mile outlook for powersport products?
Episode 23 – Has the commercial customer been forgotten?
Episode 24 – How is connectivity driving the EV consumer experience?
Episode 25 – How has in-vehicle navigation evolved to satisfy consumer needs?