By April Fools Day is coming up, and last year I wrote a fake article claiming that Ford and GM announced an Android Car. Kind of funny, but we actually thought the idea was good. So did a bunch of other people but Chinese Auto-Makers SAIC, makers of luxury cars, is launching an “Android Car” of sorts called the Roewe 350.
Running Android 2.1, the Roewe 350 will have more than just Google Maps and Google Nav, with integrated chatting, web surfing and more. Whether or not you’ll have access to Android Market or if they’ll have their own auto-mart of sorts is unknown, but I’m hoping for the latter. It would be nice to see Android in THIS case be regulated to ensure that the apps available are safe for your car.
The Roewe 350 will supposedly cost about 70,000 to 130,000 yuan, or about $10,250 – $19,000.
[Via Mashable]
I’ll take one please
The Maps would be awesome with auto updates. Also if it could sync with your phone via Bluetooth, sweetness!
That looks like a cross between a Chrysler Sebring (front) and a Kia Forte (rear)!
Ive never heard of this car brand before, but It looks very nice.
Here are some of the things you might know that they deal with…
Car brands owned by SAIC:
Roewe (ex-Rover models)
Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation including MG Cars
SsangYong (51%)
SAIC’s Joint Ventures:
Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive
Shanghai General Motors Corporation
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile
Looks like a VW Jetta/Bora knockoff.
Maybe the radio interface will be a Nexus One knockoff…
They should create an app market for the car and a 24/7 diagnosis for the car that whenever there is some parts broken or something is wrong with the car you wouldn’t have to go see a mechanic about it the car would just pull up a list of parts you would need to fix it.
It probably wont be updated after its initial release. Only rumors and speculation with car owners getting furious at broken promises of 2.2 and beyond; eventually claiming “I’m going back to the iCar! So much for us early adopters! Google just wants to shaft us.”
A Chinese made car, no thanks.
Roewe is basically the formally known British car maker ‘rover’ . Imagine a Chinese dude trying to pronounce rover….and u get roewe! This was when some Chinese firm bought the rover brand and basically shipped all production to China,another sad day for British motor industry..
So will the satnav have a brummie accent??
Don’t blame the Chinese. It was mismanagement and embezzelment, coupled with poor design and performance, which led to Rover’s demise. In the end it was bought by Shanghai Automobile for £1 with a promise to keep production going in the UK if their analysis of the company’s books found that it would be viable – ie no guaruntee of saving it. Of course the British workers and public said ok ok and wishfully thought the deal included preserving uneconomical jobs. In the end Shanghai Automobile realized it was better to take the patents Rover had and shift production to China. It’s business.
Also should add, these Roewes look far better than any Rover I’ve seen! Props to the Chinese!
Funny. Google pulls out of china and china is using google. I wonder if the Maps are real or ‘updated’ by the government for propaganda sake.
@treefq
if they (china) decides you do more harm then good to the motherland, they just ‘update’ maps to drive you off a cliff
Give me an Android-based NAV/multimedia system that I can install in my American-made Jeep, and then we’ll talk. Chinese car, no thanks. Seriously though, I would love to be able to buy an Android-based NAV system for my Jeep.
Haha so will there be a sub forum on af?
Wow, Android is creeping into everything!
:)
Interesting. I am Chinese and ANdroid fan I never heard of this news before.
new article please! I’m tired of seeing this at the top of the page every time i come here.
they better have good coverage of ctia
I like the idea of an integrated Android media centre sat nav thingy. However someone releasing a stand alone unit or sat nav running Android would make a fortune. And Brad, the Chinese can’t make a worse effort than some of the crap that comes out of Detroit.
I certainly hope that American, Japanese, Korean, and European automakers follow this trend. It would be amazing to sync my phone with my car’s OS.
Wonder if its this unit?
http://phandroid.com/2009/11/23/android-car-navigation-system-in-your-dashboard-archermind-cns/
Having the car use the same OS as your phone…it would even be BETTER than the new car smell.
I just want a voice synthesis program where it sounds like I am talking to KITT
Wow, that April fools a year ago wasn’t so bad afterall ;)