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Auto group will use Android Auto exclusively so drivers will actually use infotainment centers
- According to The Wall Street Journal, Google has signed a partnership with the world’s largest auto group.
- By 2022, Android Auto will be the exclusive in-dash operating system for millions of cars from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
- Other, non-Android connected apps — like Apple CarPlay — will still work as well.
When was the last time you actually used your vehicle’s in-dash infotainment system to do things like getting navigation directions or streaming music via Spotify? Probably never, right? Most people just use their smartphones for tasks like that, because their vehicle’s infotainment system is difficult to use or lacks features they need.
The world’s largest automaker — the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance — is finally ceding that this is how consumers do things and just signed a deal with Google to make Android Auto the exclusive infotainment OS in its vehicles, via The Wall Street Journal. Starting in 2021, RNMA will put Android Auto in all of its supported vehicles, which means by 2022 Android Auto could be in millions of cars across the United States.
Last year, RNMA sold a combined 10.6 million vehicles globally and projects that in 2022 it will sell around 14 million vehicles, so this is a considerable win for Google and Android Auto.
With Android Auto built in as the default infotainment system, drivers will have access to apps from the Google Play Store, navigation via Google Maps, and smart voice-activated controls via Google Assistant, no smartphone necessary.
Historically, automakers have been reluctant to install third-party systems like Android Auto due to the fact that Google will use the customer data to make money. But consumers’ attachments to their phones, Google’s open-source Android system, and maybe some of these safety statistics finally won over RNMA, which hopefully means other automakers will soon follow.
This year at Google I/O 2018, Volvo showcased a prototype vehicle with Android Auto built in. It looks like after a decade of trying, Google is finally gaining steam in the automobile space which will put them way ahead of rivals like Apple. However, the pairing of Apple devices to the Android Auto systems will still be possible.
What do you think? Would the inclusion of Android Auto with a vehicle influence your decision to buy it? Let us know in the comments!