JLR, BlackBerry Pair Up for Secure Connected Cars

Jaguar Land Rover has turned to BlackBerry to handle its future connected car security issues in a deal that is expected to cover its next generation of models.

As part of the multi-year agreement between the companies, BlackBerry’s ultra-secure QNX technology, seen in the company’s much pilloried app-shy but hard-to-hack cell phone BlackBerry 10 operating platform, will be licensed for use in future JLR products.

The U.K. automaker also agreed to assign a team of engineers to support in the development of new electronic control unit modules. The first ECU project will be a next-generation infotainment system.

“Working with BlackBerry will enable us to develop the safe and secure next-generation connected car our customers want,” says Dave Nesbitt, vehicle engineering director at JLR.

“Together with BlackBerry engineers, we will be able to access the most dynamic and up-to-date software to ensure the highest security required for our connected vehicles.”

John Wall, senior vice president and general manager of BlackBerry QNX, adds: “We are at a pivotal moment, where innovative automakers, such as Jaguar Land Rover, are realizing they need to take an active role in defining the software architecture for their vehicles. Connected and autonomous vehicles will react and drive based on rich data. Our platforms help process data efficiently and keep it secure and trusted.”

BlackBerry currently provides automakers around the world with technology to protect and mitigate hardware, software, applications and end-to-end systems from cyber-attacks.