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The internet-connected car is the next frontier for many in technology, and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the start of 2014 is likely to be a showcase for the next year’s gadgetry for the wired vehicle. But Google and Audi have already unveiled their partnership that is going to be the stepping stone for the next phase of the connected car: The two companies are going to collaborate to introduce an Android-based information system for Audi cars.
Audi has been at the forefront of the web-connected car market; it launched a 4G-connected car for Europe in August (although BMW has also manufactured a 4G-connected car, and General Motors and AT&T have made moves in this space as well). Audi’s partnership with Google signals an important shift for automakers and software makers alike as the push towards the ecosystem of the internet of things continues into 2014. The internet-connected car has been one of the more obvious routes for web companies in considering what devices and machines are ideal for internet connectivity, and cell network-connected cars have been around for years now. But the truly web-connected vehicle would be part of the internet of things ecosystem that would connect to users’ smartphones and possibly smart home networks.
And it looks like Google is getting its foot in this door, although Android-based vehicles for the general consumer are a long ways off. Having its mobile operating system as the base network on which some Audis run would be a step towards getting consumers used to other Android-based machine-to-machine operation, which sets the precedent for Android-based refrigerators, homes, etc. And competition from other software makers is essentially left to Apple: The company issued news in June about its support from various automakers including BMW for iOS-connected car support. Of course, if both Apple and Google bring their operating systems to vehicles it will just be another level of global competition for the two tech giants.
The move towards internet-connected cars also holds big hopes for chipmakers as it does for software makers and automakers. Indeed, some have already begun laying the groundwork for the pending demand for internet-connected cars. ARM came out with new chip architecture earlier this year that is geared for the automotive industry, and reports note that Nvidia has been a part of the Google/Audi talks to incorporate its semiconductor technology into the future vehicles. CES — starting January 7 — will be key to watch for other automakers and internet companies as well introducing vehicle-ready equipment and software.
