Following Apple's announcement earlier this year that it was working with Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Chevrolet and other car manufacturers to integrate iOS into their vehicles, a new report claims that Google has similar plans for Android. Sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal say that Google and Audi plan to announce at CES next month that they're working on an in-car entertainment system based on Android. Part of that work reportedly involves other car and tech companies, including NVIDIA.
Details on Google and Audi's plans are still light for now, but it's said that the two companies want both the driver and passengers of a vehicle to have access to music, navigation, applications and other services like the ones that are currently available on Android phones. Both the operating system and its apps are likely to run on hardware that's directly integrated with the vehicles.
While we've yet to see Apple's in-vehicle iOS integration really take off, it makes sense that both it and Google would target automobiles as the next major area in which to expand their mobile OSes. Consumers use many of the same apps and services in their cars and on their phones, including ones for entertainment and navigation, so Apple and Google could utilize the large app platforms that they both currently have to ensure that they've got strong in-car entertainment platforms right out of the gate.
If you were shopping for a new car, would the inclusion of an Android or iOS-powered entertainment system influence your buying decision?
