Ford’s vehicles are about to get a lot Googlier.
The automaker is the latest one to bet big on Google and recently confirmed that it will use Google’s Android platform to power “millions” of its cars’ infotainment systems by 2023. Ford did not confirm which of its vehicles will get injected with Android by the projected year.
The partnership includes a six-year deal with Google to use Google Cloud as its preferred cloud provider for its connected vehicle services. The team-up is also going to lead to a new group made up of employees from both Ford and Google called Team Upshift, which will be tasked with innovating for the future.
The announcement also means that Ford’s current software provider BlackBerry QNX is getting the boot. A spokesperson confirmed with The Verge that Ford will swap out QNX for Android.
“We’re going to leverage the talent and assets of both companies to push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities,” Ford’s vice-president of strategy and partnerships, David McClelland said in a Medium post. “This may include projects ranging from modernizing our plants through vision AI, developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle, creating new ownership offers based on connected vehicle data, and more.”
