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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.

Watch Schumacher's hot lap of N"urburgring in Mercedes F1 car

In advance of the Nürburgring 24-hour race last weekend, Mercedes-Benz put on a demonstration that had Michael Schumacher playing catch-up in a Formula One car against four examples of AMG metal. There were four cars sent off in staggered starts before Schumacher: an A45 AMG, E63 AMG 4Matic, SLS AMG Black Series, and an SLS AMG GT3 car. "Mr. Formula One," as the German television commentators call him, left three minutes after the SLS AMG GT3.
There are two videos of Schumacher's lap, the first is on-board footage - and even though there were several GoPros on the car the POV never cuts away from the front wing. You can hear the throttle and tell he's not pushing it, you can also tell how bumpy the track is. The second video is footage from the German Sport1 channel - with commentary in German - that shows all the cars taking off and takes the aerial view of proceedings. He looks to be going a lot faster in that one. You can compare and contrast yourself with the videos below.
Oh, and it's worth noting that, even with the likely restricted car, and the made-for-TV environment, Schumi turned in a quick lap. The nose camera shows the F1 car start to slow down on the back straight, near the start/finish line, right around the modern-length track record time of six minutes and eleven seconds.

New Mercedes-Maybach concept set to debut at 2018 Beijing Motor Show

Mercedes-Maybach builds some of the most kitted out and opulent production cars in the world. Think of the Maybach S 560 and S 650 as a Mercedes S-Class taken to the next level of luxury. Today, Mercedes-Maybach revealed a new teaser for what looks like a concept for a new EV. The car is set to debut in just a few weeks at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show. This might be the Maybach SUV we reported on a few weeks back. It's difficult to make out too many details, but it definitely looks different than the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 that we've seen floating around for the past couple of years. A close-up shot of the steering wheel shows the soft blue glow that Mercedes has put on the EQ-branded concept cars. Other images show clean white leather, rose gold trim and a pair of seats flanking a flower-encrusted panel. All the shots appear to be of the concept's interior, so we can't say for sure that this is the rumored Maybach SUV. Either way, it's sure to be just as luxurious and formidable as anything the automaker currently has on the road. We're hoping they come up with another G-Class Landaulet. Related Video: News Source: Facebook: Mercedes-Benz Design/Style Green Beijing Motor Show Maybach Mercedes-Benz SUV Concept Cars Electric Luxury Videos mercedes-maybach