Android in-car concept demonstration
Android Auto made its debut a couple years ago. Since then, automobile manufacturers have been rapidly adopting this platform, often co-locating with Apple Car Play, for drivers to connect their smartphones seamlessly with their vehicles.
Perhaps it was inevitable, but the next logical step is for enabling car makers to integrate some of the vehicle operations into Android as a resident system in the vehicle itself. To prove the concept, Google had a few cars on hand showing off the Android In-car concept. Nothing fancy, a Hyundai, a Honda, a Mercedes, oh, and a Maserati.
One of the questions we raised was that of updates and the resiliency of hardware. Most people will keep a smartphone with a top-shelf Snapdragon for a year or two. However, it is not uncommon for someone to buy and keep a car for a decade or longer. Just as specifications get old, electronic components physically wear over time as well. Google explained to us, that the electronics involved were basically a module, which, in theory means important bits like all the microprocessors can be upgraded relatively easily.
Things that are NOT allowed: