It’s well known that General Motors is planning to offer an Android infotainment system that goes beyond Android Auto at some point next year, says Strategy Analytics analyst Roger Lanctot.
So it wouldn’t be a stretch to think General Motors may make a formal announcement on the system this week at the Google I/O developer’s conference, he said in a blog Tuesday.
GM is reportedly planning a full Android embedded infotainment system that would provide a few advantages. While consumers now want to plug in their phones, the car companies believe in the future, they will want all the same functions embedded in the car without fumbling with their phones.
Also, embedded Android can give you deeper integration of Waze, Google Maps and other apps in the dash, said Lanctot in a phone interview.
He predicts GM will offer baked in Android in certain trim levels of cars such as the upcoming Bolt (lower cost version of the electric Volt) and even say, a Camaro. Lanctot said he “sat in an Android infused Camaro over a year ago at GM Ventures [the technology investment arm of GM].”
Not to split hairs, but in Europe there are already “forked” versions of Android baked into cars. Forked, meaning the use of basic free Android code and then adding your own programming. A true Android OS would use proprietary Google code, and this is apparently what GM plans.
Lanctot speculates that Harman may provide the Android systems for GM.
At any rate, we’ll be watching out for a GM dashboard next year and a possible announcement at Google I/O, which starts Thursday.
In the meanwhile, Hyundai announced Tuesday it is now offering Android Auto in the 2015 Sonata, becoming the first automaker with Android Auto.
Source: LinkedIn
