Android OS to hit the road in 2014

Google is staking its claim in the automotive market with the creation of the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA) which will bring the Android OS to some of the world’s biggest car brands.

In an announcement this morning, Google said the OAA was a means of bringing the technology into cars to add to its 1bn-plus number of users with the overall goal of creating a uniform OS in all future car models.

The first companies to sign up to the alliance are Audi, Honda and General Motors, as well as NVIDIA, one of the world’s largest producers of processors and semi-conductors.

In what has been the tradition for the Android OS, Google has promised that while it hopes to have the same OS in every car model, the company encourages each car brand to create and customise their own designs to suit their style.

Inter-connected devices

Just as the push towards smartwear this year encourages users to connect themselves with their devices in a different way, Google is aiming to make the car a place where all their Android devices could be inter-connected.

The announcement of the OAA comes only a few months after Audi confirmed the new 2015 A3 model will be the first to be equipped with 4G mobile internet technology.

Speaking about how the OAA will benefit its cars, Audi’s head of electrics/electronics development, Ricky Hudi, said: “The worlds of consumer and automotive technologies have never been more closely aligned, and this alliance will only pave the way for faster innovation. Working toward a common ecosystem benefits driver safety above all.”

The first cars with the Android OS are expected to come online towards the end of this year.