An overview of the efforts by Google, Apple, and Amazon to offer their technology and services for connected cars
When Ford announced that starting in 2023 its cars and trucks would come with Google Maps, Assistant and Play Store preinstalled, CEO Jim Farley called the partnership between …
Context & Ripple Effects
Ford's planned 2023 rollout follows Google's earlier Android infotainment partnership with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance and a six-year agreement to put Android in millions of Ford vehicles. Amazon had already secured default Alexa placements with Audi and BMW, making the car a contested distribution point for consumer technology platforms.
First-order effects
- Ford's cars and trucks gain preinstalled Google Maps, Assistant and Play Store services, while Google gains a direct in-vehicle channel through Ford's lineup.
Second-order effects
- Apple and Amazon face greater pressure to win comparable automaker integrations; Amazon's default Alexa arrangements with Audi and BMW show that voice-assistant placement is already being negotiated model by model.
Third-order effects
- If automakers continue adopting bundled software stacks, control of the in-car interface will increasingly sit with the platform that supplies navigation, voice assistance and app distribution rather than with any single vehicle feature.
The trend: Connected cars are becoming a platform-distribution battle in which automakers choose among bundled software ecosystems from Google, Apple and Amazon.