Android Auto already has a good selection of auto maker partners, and Volkswagen announced on Monday January 5th, 2015 at CES, that they would putting some heavy focus into bringing support for the Android Auto platform later on in 2015. While Volkswagen’s 2015 model vehicles are already out and have been for a while, Volkswagen’s 2016 model vehicles will be the ones getting the Android Auto treatment, and they have plans to ship those vehicles later on this year. We already knew that Volkswagen was one of the Android Auto partners thanks to the vehicle they had on display at Google I/O back in June 2014.
Alongside the Android Auto support, Volkswagen is also launching their Mirrorlink software later on in 2015, and will be launching their CarPlay and Android Auto on their new MIB II infotainment system inside of supported vehicles, under the App-Connect moniker. Android Auto will certainly be bringing some awesome integration to Volkswagen’s cars later this year, and the Mirrorlink software will help to keep the entire infotainment system open to multiple device brands including HTC, Sony, LG, and Samsung among others.
It’s interesting to think about support for both Apple’s and Google’s in-car computing platforms being inside of Volkswagen’s 2015 lineup, but it makes sense for Volkswagen as it doesn’t limit them to providing support for either the iOS or android user, and everything will end up being launched under a single label so as not to alienate either brand. At least that how it feels when it comes to the reasoning. Volkswagen hasn’t given a timeframe yet for when exactly we can expect these new Android Auto powered vehicles to launch, but later in the year could be anywhere from the summertime to around the holidays, and Volkswagen is going to have more than a few vehicles with Android Auto so it’s likely we could see some launch earlier on with other launching later in the year. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see any of the Android Auto stuff in action, you’re missing out, as it brings a cool, yet also functional and useful element to the in-car experience.