Fiat Chrysler shows on-board computer that runs on Android at CES

Google and Fiat Chrysler will show a Chrysler car at CES whose on-board computer is equipped with Android 7.0. The interface still has the Uconnect shell that the automaker uses more often, but the system must be able to run Android apps.

This is apparently a ‘full’ version of Android 7.0 and not the streamlined, slimmed down Android Auto. Google and Fiat Chrysler do not give a lot of details, but what is known is that it is an on-board computer with an 8.4 “screen with which the components of the car itself can be operated, but on which Android apps can also be displayed. The two companies cite the examples Pandora, Spotify, NPR One and Pocket Casts, as well as Google Assistant and Google Maps to work normally on the system, as well as “compatibility with the universe of popular Android apps.”

Although Fiat Chrysler determines the appearance of the interface, it should still be possible to customize it to some extent according to your own preferences. In this implementation of Android in the car, the user probably no longer needs to connect his smartphone to the car. The system acts more like a tablet integrated into the car. The two companies will demonstrate exactly how the system works at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which kicks off this week.

The two companies have been working together for some time in the field of high-tech cars. This year, the first self-driving Chrysler minivans are making their test drives on American public roads. Google has also previously shown quite extensive integration in a Maserati, but that was a concept and the car still ran on Android Auto.