YOKOHAMA, Japan — The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is accelerating its global push for connectivity and mobility services through a partnership with Google covering mapping, navigation and infotainment. But there’s one big stumbling block on the way: China.
Google services — which include Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play — are unavailable in China because of Beijing’s industrial policy.
The Google partnership, announced last month, is a key feature in Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi’s plan to step up its connectivity offerings and catch up with rivals General Motors and Volkswagen Group.
“For China, it will not be Google services,” said Kal Mos, who joined the alliance in March as global vice president for connected vehicles. “It will be something else, depending on local service providers in China,” he told reporters last week at Nissan Motor Corp. headquarters here.
The alliance is evaluating the situation in China to find an equivalent of Google services that are also available in other markets globally, he said.
Through the technology partnership with Google, the alliance expects to offer a better user experience by installing Google’s Android operating system in the dashboard of its vehicles.
“What we are doing is not just putting the Android Operating System and infotainment system into the car,” Mos said. Doing so, he said, is part of the alliance’s strategy to make more app choices available for vehicle owners, just as people often use Google Maps on their iPhones.
{{title}}
{{abstract}}
Be the first to comment