Honda Dream Drive
Connected-vehicle engineering for Android Auto, voice interaction, in-vehicle commerce, and passenger experiences — through a TribalScale client engagement, showcased at CES 2019.
Overview
Honda Dream Drive was a connected-vehicle prototype that explored what an in-vehicle digital platform could look like when the cabin was treated as a software product, not just a stereo and a screen. The driver experience focused on practical, trip-adjacent services — parking, fuel, restaurant reservations, food ordering, tickets, location sharing, and rewards — built around voice and minimized driver distraction. The passenger experience explored richer mobile interactions including mixed-reality games, travel content, music, and rewards.
Through TribalScale, I served as lead engineer on Honda Dream Drive, contributing to the Android Auto driver experience and the companion mobile application. The work combined Kotlin Android development, Dialogflow-driven voice interaction, Google Maps and Yelp service integration, and Braintree-backed commerce flows — and was demonstrated in the 2019 Honda Passport at CES 2019 alongside a partner ecosystem that included Chevron, Grubhub, Parkopedia, iHeartRadio, Atom Tickets, and others.
What sets it apart
Voice-first in-vehicle services
A driver-facing Android Auto experience built around a constrained command set — parking, fuel, food, reservations, tickets, location sharing, rewards. Dialogflow-powered intents drove a hands-free workflow that fit into the trip rather than competing with it.
A connected cabin beyond the dashboard
A companion mobile app for passengers — entertainment, mixed-reality games, travel content, points of interest, and cabin-aware interactions — that turned the rest of the cabin into a richer mobile surface tied to the trip.
Maps, payments, and a partner ecosystem
In-vehicle commerce and discovery powered by Google Maps and Yelp for nearby services, Braintree for payment-oriented flows, and direct integration with brand partners across fuel, food, parking, ticketing, audio, and rewards.
My role
As Lead Engineer at TribalScale on the Honda engagement, I contributed to the Android Auto driver experience and the companion mobile application for Honda Dream Drive. The work combined Kotlin Android development, Dialogflow-driven voice intents, map and service integrations through Google Maps and Yelp, and Braintree-backed payment flows — engineered to respect driver attention while still doing real work inside the trip.
- Led Android engineering for the Honda Dream Drive engagement through TribalScale
- Built Android Auto driver experiences and the companion Android mobile application
- Implemented Dialogflow-powered voice interaction for parking, fuel, food, reservations, tickets, and location-sharing intents
- Integrated Google Maps and Yelp for location, route, and point-of-interest context
- Wired Braintree-backed payment flows into in-vehicle commerce experiences
- Worked across product, design, stakeholders, and partner brands inside a high-visibility CES prototype context
- Helped separate driver-focused safety-sensitive workflows from richer passenger experiences
Honda Dream Drive · CES 2019
Capabilities
- Voice-driven driver workflows
- Map & route context
- Restaurant reservations
- Parking & fuel services
- Location sharing
- Ticketing & order-ahead
- In-vehicle commerce
- Rewards & loyalty
- Companion passenger app
- Trip-aware content
- In-cabin audio
- Driver / passenger split UX
Distributed across
Built on
- Languages
- Kotlin
- Automotive
- Android AutoDriver-attention UXVoice-first workflows
- Voice & AI
- DialogflowNatural language processingConstrained command intents
- Location & discovery
- Google MapsYelp APIPoints of interestRouting context
- Commerce
- BraintreeReservationsOrder-aheadTicketing flows
- Domain
- In-vehicle commerceDriver / passenger split UXConnected-vehicle servicesCompanion mobile experience
- Platforms
- Android AutoAndroid
Press & further reading
Selected Honda materials and independent press coverage of Honda Dream Drive’s CES 2019 prototype, the partner ecosystem, and Honda’s broader connected-vehicle strategy.
- Honda Dream Drive — CES 2019Honda Innovation, 2019Honda’s official Dream Drive page describing the Driver and Passenger experiences and CES 2019 demonstration.
- Honda Dream Drive to Deliver Next-Generation Infotainment, Commerce, Services and RewardsHonda Global Newsroom, January 2019Press release framing Dream Drive as a prototype dashboard and listing the partner ecosystem (Yelp, Grubhub, Chevron, Parkopedia, iHeartRadio, Atom Tickets, USAA, AAA, and others).
- Honda Dream Drive infotainment prototype at CES 2019CNET Roadshow, 2019Independent CES coverage of Dream Drive’s infotainment, commerce, and rewards demonstration.
- Honda Dream Drive — hands-on with a prototype for car infotainmentVentureBeat, 2019Hands-on review describing voice commands, driver and passenger dashboards, and gamified passenger experiences.
- Honda Developer Studio — Silicon Valley app ecosystem launchHonda Global Newsroom, 2014Background on Honda Developer Studio — the open-innovation effort that seeded later automotive prototypes like Dream Drive.
“A connected cabin, not just a stereo and a screen — Android Auto, voice, maps, and payments, brought into the vehicle.”
Lead Engineer · TribalScale · Honda
Feb 2018 – Aug 2019
This case study covers the Honda Dream Drive engagement, delivered through TribalScale. Honda Dream Drive was a prototype / concept platform showcased around CES 2019. The full role detail — other clients, scope, and consulting context — lives on the experience page.
Read the role detail