Audi and Volvo confirmed to be getting full Android-based vehicle control system
Android Auto is so yesteryear. Automobiles in 2017 will be all about the new Android-based infotainment experience being built by automakers like Chrysler, and — as of today — Volvo and Audi.
If you don’t remember, Google announced this new evolution for their automobile efforts back at last year’s Google IO and we got our first preview thanks to Chrysler’s CES showing.
The goal is to deliver more than just a vehicle-appropriate surrogate for your phone, but something that feels like it’s part of the vehicle itself. Something that allows you to control your windows, air conditioning, or maybe even let you know when the oil needs changing or the gas is low.
That doesn’t mean Android Auto is going away. In fact, Google made it available to many more people in the form of an Android app that you can download to your phone in case you don’t have a car with Android Auto built-in. This just gives manufacturers a deeper option for providing a connected infotainment system that offers more robustness and ubiquity that a fit-all solution simply can’t match. We’ll learn even more in a couple of days at Google I/O 2017.
[via Google]