Google Test Drives Next-Gen Android Auto System

Google Inc. is developing a host of new features for its Android Auto smartphone interface designed to make the system more user friendly, easier to integrate into vehicles and simpler to expand with new content.

The tech giant demonstrated the updates this week in a specially equipped Maserati Ghibli at its annual I/O development conference near its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. Running on Google’s new Android N operating system, the concept model featured a 15-inch screen and a high-definition digital instrument cluster powered by a Snapdragon 820 chip from Qualcomm.

The open-source operating system will allow carmakers and suppliers to develop customized apps for infotainment features and other in-vehicle systems more cost efficiently than before, according to Google.

Other enhancements include Waze mapping with real-time navigation and traffic information, vehicle-to-vehicle communication capability and a voice activation feature that allows users to initiate the system without having to first press a button.

Google also plans to offer Android Auto as a stand-alone app for smartphones, which would allow it to be used inside or outside of any vehicle. The system also could be synched using wi-fi with other devices in cars or elsewhere.

Android Auto currently is available in more than 100 vehicles models across 40 brands. Google didn’t say when the new system would be launched.