The lines of coding that form the BlackBerry QNX operating system could be Canada’s largest contribution to the automotive world.
But BlackBerry’s prominence in infotainment software is waning fast.
For BlackBerry, the losses to Google and other Linux-based operating systems could bring to mind its earlier descent from leading handset maker and Canadian tech darling to near-collapse after Apple introduced the iPhone.
A key selling point, BlackBerry believes, is its long-standing reputation for reliability that led then-Michigan-based Delphi Automotive to seek out QNX software for the U.S.
BlackBerry has technology and automaker alliances around the world, from semiconductor specialist Qualcomm in California and parts maker Hyundai Mobis in South Korea, to Chinese Internet giant Baidu, which is developing an autonomous car.