Google launches its automotive operating system aimed at Apple’s CarPlay

We could all foresee that Google will answer its biggest rival, Apple with its own automotive operating technology as the former launched CarPlay at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. It is codenamed as Google Auto Link and will be showcased at a software developer conference later this month.

Google’s Auto Link is the first product developed in collaboration with the Open Automotive Alliance, which includes Audi, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai and chipmaker NVIDIA. It’s a ‘projected’ system, a system that uses a driver’s own smartphone operating system and in this case, it is Google’s Android OS, widely used all over the world in mobile phones.

Google hasn’t released Auto Links interface and there is no announcement on which automaker will use the system first. At the formation of Open Automotive Alliance, it was that it would bring Android to cars at the start of 2014. No sight of anything yet.  In comparison, Apple’s CarPlay will be featured in the next generation XC90 SUV. Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz are other carmakers which will utilise Apple’s CarPlay. Apple’s CarPlay interface is the same as iPhone and iPad users, and handles several in-car functions.

Google is not new to cars as Audi uses Google Earth satellite images for its GPS maps. Hyundai drivers use a built-in Google search engine and voice commands to find nearby restaurants etc. In Google’s own words, “enable the car itself to become a connected Android device”. Stay tuned for more news.