Samsung Exec Elected to Lead Smart Car Consortium

A global smart car consortium has elected a Samsung executive as its new leader. Mahfuzur Rahman, Samsung Research America’s Director of Standards & Technology, is now the President of the Car Connectivity Consortium.

It’s another sign of Samsung’s deepening investment in smart car technology, with the company having recently completed the acquisition of connected car components maker Harman. At the CCC, Mahfuzur will now lead a Board of Directors including representatives from major car companies like GM, Honda, and Toyota, and tech giants including LG, HTC, and Panasonic.

The makeup of the CCC’s leadership is indicative of the growing cross-pollination between the tech and automotive sectors as the smart car continues to emerge and evolve. Microsoft recently announced that it would license connected car technology to automakers, starting with Toyota, for example, and Oberthur Technologies has announced its intention to pursue the connected car market with its eSE technology.

For its part, the CCC has indicated that it is currently working on a smartphone-based digital car key solution, and a “Car Data” information sharing platform for connected car analytics.