The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is joining Apple in the race to conquer the connected automobile experience.
Next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Google and Audi are expected to announce a joint partnership to develop in-car entertainment and information systems based on Android.
They also plan to disclose collaborative efforts with other automotive and tech companies, including chip maker Nvidia Corp., to establish Android as an important technology for future vehicles… The aim is to allow drivers and passengers to access music, navigation, apps and services that are similar to those widely available now on Android-powered smartphones…
Industry watchers say the annual sale of 80 million new cars and light trucks represent a mammoth opportunity for Internet-based software and services.
“The car is becoming the ultimate mobile device,” Thilo Koslowski, an analyst at Gartner, tells the WSJ. “Apple and Google see that and are trying to line up allies to bring their technology into the vehicle.”
