Cars and Drivers

Google Finds a Partner for Its Car Technology

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: September 18, 2018 6:25 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 5:46 pm

Several of the world’s largest tech companies want into the market for software that powers car navigation and entertainment. Google has just gone from wanting to do it to a partnership that will turn its aspirations into reality. It has come to an agreement with the auto partnership that includes Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

The alliance is made up of three companies that have cross-ownership and, in part, share a management structure. In this case, the group will act as if it were one entity.

Google and the group’s management made the announcement:

 Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and Google today announced a technology partnership to embed the Android operating system in vehicles sold by the world’s leading automotive alliance, providing intelligent infotainment and customer focused-applications across multiple models and brands, scheduled to start in 2021.

Under the technology partnership, vehicles sold by the Alliance members in many markets will utilize Android, the world’s most popular operating system, and will provide turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps, access to a rich ecosystem of automotive apps on the Google Play Store and have the ability to answer calls and texts, control media, find information, and manage vehicle functions with voice using the built in Google Assistant.

The technology Google will contribute is not new. It has, however, found a home that will be in a large number of vehicles. These will be 12 autonomous and electric cars the alliance’s plans. Like all other major car company products, vehicles like these are the wave of the future.

The Google plan is similar to the one it has employed with wireless phones and other connected devices. If Android can become the operating system, its other software products will fall into place. In the world of cellular products, the effort has worked extremely well. Android holds a very high share of the market in the industry.

The three car company alliance is not as large as several other manufacturers. Google will need to vie with a great deal of competition to get into GM, Volkswagen and Toyota vehicles. But at least the new agreement is a start and a toehold for Android, which already rules the wireless industry.