Germany's top car companies don't want Google in the driving seat
By Chris Hall | 22 December 2014
Android Auto is a focus of Google, with recent news that Android M might be a more robust Android Auto offering, designed specifically for car integration.
The report from Reuters, citing unnamed sources, says that Google's plan is to step beyond integration with an Android smartphone and in-car entertainment, and may have access to the car's other information systems, such as sensors, gauges and so on.
This report was rapidly followed by something of a retort from Bloomberg, stating that German car companies were uneasy about this level of integration.
"The data that we collect is our data and not Google's data," Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is reported to have said, "When it gets close to our operating system, it's hands off."
Google has some German car manufacturers like Volkswagen Audi on-board its Open Automotive Alliance - announced in early 2014 - but VAG has said it wants to limit what Google gets access to. BMW and Mercedes, however, aren't part of the plan, leaving some premium marques outside of Google's plans.
That might rain on Google's parade a little and in Germany, Bloomberg reports, politicians are looking to protect its strong car industry against Google's influence.
Google's play towards cars, however, is something that will be popular with consumers, presenting an experience that transfers directly from browser to smartphone to automobile.
On a surface level, accessing your existing apps, music and services has plenty of appeal. Being able to search Google Maps and have access to your locations or history on your car makes things easy, as would having Google Now present the directions to your next appointment when you start the ignition.
Google is said to be in discussion with car manufacturers around things like accident avoidance, emissions and efficiency of transport routes, which may well depend on the sorts of data that car companies want to keep control of.
"We see ourselves as partners rather than someone who turns the whole business upside down," said Jens Redmer, Google's director of business development EMEA.