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Fire TV for Auto to debut on the upcoming Jeep Wagoneer models
The premium SUVs will feature a built-in infotainment system based on Amazon's offering
The Wagoneer brand is about to be revived as the premium extension of Jeep vehicles. Two high-end SUVs are scheduled to be unveiled on March 11, but we already know they will feature an innovative infotainment system. The brand has partnered with Amazon to be the first to feature Fire TV for Auto on its vehicles, allowing passengers to stream content on the road.
Android Auto is now compatible with the latest Lexus, Ferrari, and Infiniti cars
70+ models from other manufacturers have also added support, but BMW is still missing
Android Auto is making its way into more and more cars. Even notorious holdout manufacturer BMW announced 2019 that it would add support for Google's platform to its vehicles this year, though it'll have some weird limitations. While we're still waiting on the German manufacturer to pull through, the first Lexus and Infiniti models have been added to the growing list of supported cars, along with Ferrari.
Back in February, Toyota announced it was finally working on adding Android Auto support in its vehicles. Given it's one of the largest car manufacturers worldwide, it's very surprising it was so late in making the move, but the Japanese company seems to be serious in its commitment to Android Auto, as its luxury division's cars will also support it.
LG Electronics announced a partnership today with HERE Technologies to create a new platform for self-driving cars' navigation systems and onboard sensors. The two companies plan to offer a "next-generation telematics solution for autonomous vehicles," combining the considerable digital mapping and navigation expertise of HERE with LG's communications technologies.
You have almost certainly heard the name Harman when it comes to audio products, but the company has spent the last few years getting big into automotive technology as well. That's what piqued Samsung's interest in the company, and now the Korean tech giant is putting a lot of cash on the table to become a player in connected car tech. The $8 billion deal will be Samsung's biggest acquisition to date when it closes.
Honda and NVIDIA have partnered up to supply future 2015 Civic, Civic Tourer and CR-V owners with a Tegra-powered infotainment system for them to totally not interact with while driving. The interface will be based on Android, but it's utilizing the aging (or at this point, we can just say old) build of 4.0.4. We may be excited to see Android work its way into more cars, but Auto, this is not.
During CES this year, Google and NVIDIA announced partnership with GM, Honda, Audi, and Hyundai in forming the Open Automotive Alliance. The initial announcement was predictably sparse on details, noting only the initiative's core principles, and the goal of bringing Android to cars. After hearing approximately nothing about the effort since then, we now have information that gives us a first look at Google's vision for Android in the Car, referred to internally as Gearhead.
Yesterday, Android Police was in San Jose checking out some nifty things at NVIDIA's 2013 GPU Technology Conference. At one of the events, the Tegra team showed off a few prototypes of automotive dashboards they're hoping to put into cars of the future.
I'm not really sure how we missed this app when it was released way back in July, because it's damn cool. A company called Directed Electronics produces an automotive remote start kit that's called Viper SmartStart, and the kicker: it's controlled via smartphones. The app was available on iOS and BlackBerry for some time before being released for Android in July, and it's some pretty neat kit - check out the video (sorry, it won't embed because it's unlisted).