Audi, Volvo will build new infotainment systems using Android

PanARMENIAN.Net - Google has taken a major step toward turning Android into a complete operating system for cars that doesn’t require the use of a phone. The company announced partnerships with Audi and Volvo on Monday, May 15, ahead of this week’s I/O developer’s conference, that will see those carmakers build new branded infotainment systems using Android 7.0 Nougat, The Verge reports.

The manufacturer-tweaked versions of Google’s operating system will power the cars’ main touchscreen displays, as well as the digital dashboards behind the steering wheel. They will add new services like Google Assistant to the apps and integrations already available on Android Auto. But Android will now also control basic functions like heating and cooling, seat position, or opening and closing the windows. (It won’t go as far as controlling critical safety systems like brakes, though, according to Google.)

Volvo says it plans to launch its Android on new models within two years, while Audi will show its version off in the new Audi Q8 Sport concept.

Google has been reportedly working on it as far back as late 2014, when a report in Reuters indicated that the software giant was aiming to turn Android Auto into something that could control a car’s systems and wouldn’t require a smartphone.

Google officially exposed those ambitions at last year’s I/O conference when it showed off a Maserati Ghibli with a 4K, 15-inch vertical center touchscreen that was running a version of Android that could control everything from the radio to the HVAC system. This past January, Google and Fiat Chrysler (the parent company of Maserati) announced they were working on combining FCA’s Uconnect infotainment system with Android 7.0 Nougat — an apparent precursor to Monday's news.