Volvo Cars has partnered with Google to develop its in-car infotainment and connectivity solution.
Based on Google's Android operating system, the new solution will offer access to an array of apps and services, launching in new Volvo models within two years.
The Swedish carmaker says the partnership promises to revolutionise how its customers engage and interact with their cars. The large catalogue of Android apps - developed by Google, Volvo, or third-party app developers - will offer connected and predictive services in and around the car.
"We are making an important strategic step with the Google partnership. Google's platform and services will enhance the user experience by enabling more personalisation possibilities, while Android will offer increased flexibility from a development perspective," says Henrik Green, senior vice-president for research and development at Volvo Car Group.
Volvo's partnership with Google reflects the ongoing convergence between the automotive and technology industries as cars become increasingly connected.
Volvo believes smart partnerships are the future for the car industry. It notes that using Android as the base operating system will increase speed and flexibility in the development and offer its customers the ability to personalise the connected in-car experience.
"We're thrilled to partner with Volvo to bring Android into their next-generation connected cars," says Patrick Brady, vice-president of Android Engineering at Google. "This partnership gives us the opportunity to deliver a more seamless experience to Volvo drivers through a full-featured infotainment platform and rich ecosystem of Android applications and Google services."
"With the advent of Android in our cars, we will embrace a rich ecosystem while keeping our iconic Volvo user interface. We will offer hundreds of popular apps and the best integrated experience in this broad, connected environment," says Green.
Volvo is also collaborating with Google on another initiative to update recent Volvo models by adding Google Local Search, a location-based service application.
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