A few days back, there were reports that Google is partnering with the world’s biggest auto alliance to bring Android Auto to devices. According to this partnership, Android Auto would be seen in the vehicles of Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault. It seems that Google has not stopped exploring options for the same. According to the latest report, Toyota is also expected to bring Android Auto in its vehicles in the future. This is something great for Google, considering that Toyota devices started offering CarPlay support in many vehicles earlier. Bloomberg reports that the announcement would likely be made in October itself.
Talking about this leak, however, Toyota Motors has not made anything public. However, the company did admit the fact that it has long recognized the demand for Android Auto and that direct integration is indeed a possibility. Even now, there are some ways to access the features of Android Auto in an indirect manner. Some apps allow users to get the features on their car, but the display utilization and feature availability are somewhat limited when compared to the old scene. As said earlier, even if the partnership is true, users will have to wait till October for an official announcement.
Despite offering CarPlay support, the whole deal between Toyota and Car Infotainment systems hasn’t been that smooth. It’s very clear that there is an increasing demand for smart gadgets like Android Auto, provided it’s bringing real-time navigation and other features. More importantly, most of the vehicle manufacturers have been integrating some level of support for Android Auto. Considering all these, it would be the loss of Toyota to prevent offering Android Auto integration in its devices. For Toyota, it also means a competition between companies like Honda and Volkswagen, who started offering smart connectivity a long while back.
