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When Android Automotive goes in the dash, Google wins — and automakers lose data

You've gotta hand it to Google for the way the Silicon Valley tech giant has made indelible inroads into the car on multiple fronts. The most obvious is with its pioneering self-driving car technology that's caused car companies to get their act together on autonomous vehicles — and also collaborate with Google. Google has more directly extended its influence and data-mining capabilities into the car with its Android Auto smartphone-projection platform that most major automakers have adopted along with Apple's CarPlay. And now it's preparing to dig even deeper into dashboards by deploying its open-source operating system, Android Automotive, beginning with Audi and Volvo. Volvo recently announced that its next-generation Sensus infotainment system will run Android Automotive as an OS and include Google's Play Store for cloud-based content, Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition, which can even command a car's climate control. By embedding Google in the dash, Volvo says owners will get an improved connected experience. "Bringing Google services into Volvo cars will accelerate innovation in connectivity and boost our development in applications and connected services," Volvo senior vice president of R&D Henrik Green said in a statement. "Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable." Having Android Automotive onboard could benefit drivers — and provide a big win for Google, since it opens a deep and lucrative new data-mining vein for the company. But it's a wave of a white flag for car companies when it comes to delivering their own cloud-based content and services. It also represents a massive data giveaway and, for Audi, a reversal of earlier reservations about letting Google get too much access to car data. Not long after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were introduced in 2014 and most automakers eagerly embraced the technologies, several German automakers second-guessed their decision when they realized what was at stake: data. At a conference in Berlin in 2015, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said car owners "want to be in control of their data, and not subject to monitoring." A few months earlier, Stadler stated that "the data that we collect is our data and not Google's.

'Clean Diesel' leaves dirty taste for green-minded VW owners

Volkswagen developed the advertising campaigns for its "Clean Diesel" cars far better than the actual technology. In dozens of complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission in September, green-minded consumers said they were enticed into buying diesels by the company's advertising, which touted the environmental benefits of new diesel technology. Those alleged benefits convinced many to buy cars they otherwise would not have considered. In actuality, Volkswagen installed secret software in its cars that allowed the company's diesels to brazenly circumvent emissions standards. For environmentally conscious consumers, those decisions backfired. Instead of helping the environment, they drove cars that polluted at up to 40 times beyond the legal threshold for certain emissions. Now, those consumers are angry. They've asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Volkswagen for alleged deceptive advertising, and are hoping the federal agency can intervene and force Volkswagen to either buy back their compromised cars or negotiate trade-ins on favorable terms. An FTC spokesperson confirmed the agency is investigating. Many of those who wrote or called the agency said they felt like they had nowhere else to turn. For green-friendly drivers, it wasn't only about the money. It was also about the betrayal. "I am ashamed to drive this car on the road, as doing so is evidence that I have been taken for a fool." "It's awful for the environment," wrote one consumer from Shreveport, Louisiana, on September 24, days after the diesel scandal unfolded. "It's caused me anxiety thinking about the amount of emissions I have been producing." The motorist's comments echoed others filed with the FTC. Many owners felt trapped with cars they couldn't sell and cars they felt they could no longer drive in good conscience, knowing they spew nitrogen oxide at levels that violate the Clean Air Act. "I do not see how I can drive it knowing highly toxic pollutants are being produced," wrote another driver from Middletown, Rhode Island. "I have not driven the car since this news came to light." The two statements were among the 89 filed with the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network in the week following the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement that Volkswagen had admitted rigging approximately 482,000 cars in America with software that allowed them to cheat emissions testing.

Join Autoblog editors for a full video tour of the 2019 Detroit Auto Show

The 2019 North American International Auto Show might have been a little more quiet than past years, but there were still some pretty major reveals, including the Toyota Supra, new Ford Explorer, Shelby GT500, Subaru WRX STI S209 and Kia Telluride. We also saw some lovely concepts like the Nissan IMs and Lexus LC Convertible. Senior Editor Alex Kierstein, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Green Editor John Beltz Snyder join me, Associate Editor Reese Counts — with Social Media Manager Michael Dylan Ferrara behind the camera — on a long walk through the show. We discuss cars, poke around the stands, dress a bloody wound and answer your questions in the Facebook comments. For more Detroit coverage, you can check out Autoblog's picks for the best in show, listen to our podcast or look at the best images from all the reveals. Finally, don't forget to watch Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore hand over our 2019 Technology of the Year award. Related Video: Green Detroit Auto Show Acura Cadillac Chevrolet Ford GM Hyundai Infiniti Kia Lexus Nissan RAM Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Truck Convertible Coupe Crossover Hatchback Minivan/Van SUV Videos Sedan facebook 2019 detroit auto show live