Volvo Cars to Build Android into New Connected Cars

Volvo Cars announced it was partnering with Google to develop the next generation of in-car infotainment and connectivity solutions based on Android, said a press release from Volvo Cars Monday.

It said the partnership promised to revolutionize how Volvo customers engage and interact with their cars. The large catalogue of popular Android apps — developed by Google, Volvo, or third party app developers — will offer connected and predictive services in and around the car.

“We are making an important strategic step with the Google partnership. Google’s platform and services will enhance the user experience by enabling more personalization possibilities, while Android will offer increased flexibility from a development perspective,” said Henrik Green, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Volvo Car Group.

The partnership with Google reflects the ongoing convergence between the automotive and technology industries as cars become increasingly connected. Using Android as the base operating system will offer its customers the ability to personalize the connected in-car experience.

Patrick Brady, vice-president of Android Engineering at Google, said: “This partnership gives us the opportunity to deliver a more seamless experience to Volvo drivers through a full-featured infotainment platform and rich ecosystem of Android applications and Google services.”

Volvo is also collaborating with Google on another initiative to update recent Volvo models by adding Google Local Search, a location based service application. This will be released through an update to customers with Sensus Navigation.

Volvo Cars, which was acquired by Chinese automaker Geely in 2010, employs over 31,000 people worldwide. (Xinhua)