Google partners with Renault -Nissan-Mitsubishi

Imagine a world where there is no google or where we can't access the web, imagine how the world will be.

According to reports, Google will partner with Renault -Nissan-Mitsubishi, the largest auto alliance in the world by vehicle sales, to put Android-based infotainment systems into millions of cars, the companies told Wall Street Journal.

The alliance’s next-generation infotainment system and dashboard displays will use Android and launch in 2021.

Drivers will be able to access Google’s maps, app store and voice assistant from their vehicle’s dashboards. The new partnership is a giant step forward for Google’s ambitions to get its operating system into more cars (the alliance sold a combined 5.5 million vehicles in the first half of this year, putting it ahead of Volkswagen and Toyota Motor).

The alliance’s executives told WSJ that they decided on the partnership because many of their customers are accustomed to using Google Maps and other apps and prefer sticking with them instead of using software developed by automakers when they drive.

Auto executives have also become more comfortable with Google, which made its software open source in 2007. Kal Mos, the alliance’s vice president of connected vehicles, told the Wall Street Journal that “the trust was built in the last few years.”

By partnering with Google, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi ups the ante on rival automakers to partner with tech companies instead of developing their own software ecosystems. While this may win customers over, it also means potentially ceding control over valuable user data to companies like Google and Apple. Mos told WSJ that Google will have access to data collected from its in-car apps, but must ask for user permission first.

Other automakers that are already integrating Google apps into their vehicles include Volkswagen, which put Google Earth into the Audi’s in-car navigation system, and Volvo Cars, which said its next in-car infotainment system will run on Android.

Uber Fires Former Google Engineer at Heart of Self-Driving Dispute

Uber said Tuesday that it had fired Anthony Levandowski, a star engineer brought in to lead the company’s self-driving automobile efforts who was accused of stealing trade secrets when he left a job at Google.

What Mr. Levandowski did when he quit Google to start his own company, Otto, which was acquired by Uber for nearly $700 million last year, is the key question in a closely watched lawsuit that pits one of the world’s most powerful companies against Uber, a richly financed up-and-comer.

The stakes are enormous for both businesses. Google was a pioneer in autonomous car technology and has spent nearly a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars on its effort, which is now run through Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. And Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive, has said the future of his ride-hailing company, privately valued at nearly $70 billion, hinges on work being done to create cars that can drive themselves.

The dismissal of one of Uber’s most prized technical talents also points to the risks of the star engineering culture that has emerged in Silicon Valley in recent years, leading to giant paydays for a small group of employees.Continue reading the main story

That was certainly the case for Mr. Levandowski. Last August, when Uber announced it had bought Otto, Mr. Kalanick described Mr. Levandowski as “one of the world’s leading autonomous engineers,” a prolific entrepreneur with “a real sense of urgency.”

Uber agreed to pay $680 million — mostly in company equity — in exchange for the company’s technology and a team of experienced self-driving technology engineers. Mr. Levandowski and his staff would also be entitled to a small percentage of any profits earned from an Uber-owned, self-driving trucking business developed under Mr. Levandowski’s direction.

But just months after the acquisition, Waymo sued Uber in civil court, claiming that Uber was using trade secrets stolen from Google to develop Uber’s self-driving vehicles — a plan Waymo alleges was aided by Mr. Levandowski.

Volvo Partners With Google For Android-Based In-Car Tech

Volvo is teaming up with tech giant Google in order to develop Android-based solutions for its next generation in-car infotainment systems.

This will allow Volvo users to access a wide array of connected apps and predictive services, and will be available on new Volvo models within the next two years.

"We are making an important strategic step with the Google partnership. Google's platform and services will enhance the user experience by enabling more personalization possibilities, while Android will offer increased flexibility from a development perspective."

"With the advent of Android, 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," said Volvo R&D boss, Henrik Green.

The Swedish automaker believes these types of "smart partnerships" are the future of the car industry, and that using Android as their base operating systems will allow for greater speed and flexibility.

"We're thrilled to partner with Volvo to bring Android into their next-generation connected cars," stated Google VP of Android Engineering, Patrick Brady. "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."

Volvo is also collaborating with Google in an attempt to update recent models, by adding Google Local Search (a location-based service application). This feature will be released through an update to customers with Sensus Navigation.

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