Hyundai bringing Android to cars, iOS to follow

It’s been a long time coming, I’m sure, but finally a major motor manufacturer has announced the introduction of Android to its production line. Hyundai has become the first of what will undoubtedly be a flood of manufacturers incorporating some derivative of a mobile platform into their vehicles, which includes Apple’s CarPlay.

The benefit here is a completely seamless level of integration of all your mobile apps into the DNA of your car. It opens up a can of opportunity, including things like Google Maps as a navigation system, rather than some expensive optional extra.

I think it’s a brilliant step in the evolution of motoring. MD 

Seoul, South Korea | AFP 

Hyundai Android AutoSouth Korea’s Hyundai Motor said Wednesday it has become the first carmaker to offer Google’s Android Auto system in its Sonata model sold in the US market.

The company said US Android smartphone users with a 2015 Sonata sedan can now ask car dealers to download the system for free if they have a vehicle with navigation.

Android users will be able to plug their phones into their cars and have details like navigation, messaging and calls appear on the vehicle’s eight-inch touchscreen, it said.

Hyundai, the world’s fifth largest auto group with affiliate Kia Motors, promised to install the Android system in other models, along with Apple’s version of the system called CarPlay.

“Android Auto aligns with Hyundai’s core interior design principles of safety, intuitiveness and simplicity,” Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski said in a statement released in California.

“With the launch of Android Auto, we provide more owners with the experience of cutting-edge technology,” he added.

Hyundai said the Android system improves safety as it will prevent drivers from becomning distracted.

The smartphone’s screen becomes “locked” so drivers are not tempted to look down and interact with their phones directly while Android Auto is in use, it said.

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