Volvo

Volvo shows off the Polestar 3’s sweet new Android Automotive interface

By Michael J. Moody 6 months ago
The full Polestar 3 design isn't revealed yet, but Volvo released this camouflaged photo.
Enlarge / The full Polestar 3 design isn’t revealed yet, but Volvo released this camouflaged photo.

Volvo

Volvo, Qualcomm, Google are teaming up to make car infotainment even more smartphone-like than ever. If Wintel (Windows plus Intel) is the default software+hardware combo of the PC era, then the smartphone equivalent has got to be Android and Qualcomm (Andcom? Qualdroid?). Volvo is bringing this combo to the upcoming Polestar 3 electric SUV, which is due sometime in 2022. We also got a sneak peek at what the new interface would look like.

Volvo’s Polestar 2 was the first to ship Google’s Android Automotive OS in a car. Unlike Android Auto or Apple’s CarPlay, which run on your smartphone, Android Automotive OS has a custom version of Android preinstalled on the car, as the main car infotainment OS. Even if you have an iPhone, your car still runs Android. The Polestar 2

… Read More

CES 2022: YouTube heads to Volvo cars with baked-in safety nets

By Michael J. Moody 6 months ago
Volvo with YouTube

Well, that’s a nice bonus for when you’re waiting in the car.


Volvo

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.

Volvo owners will soon have the ability to watch YouTube videos in their cars, but not without guardrails in place. On Wednesday Volvo announced YouTube will be available to download via a car’s infotainment system and Google Play store. The company didn’t provide a specific timeline for when YouTube will be available to download but promised it’s the “beginning of enabling video streaming in cars.” This is all part of Google’s broader CES 2022 announcement that it plans to juice Android Automotive OS with functions such as YouTube integration and much more.

The feature comes with explicit guidelines for when drivers or passengers will be able to watch YouTube in the car. The answer is: at no

… Read More

Qualcomm is expanding its automotive platforms with new Volvo, Honda, Renault deals

By Michael J. Moody 6 months ago

Qualcomm has announced several new expansions of its partnerships with major car companies to provide hardware and software platforms for connected vehicles at CES 2022, partnering with Volvo, Honda, and Renault to add more functionality to their upcoming cars.

Qualcomm already has a full suite of automotive platforms, which it collectively calls the Qualcomm Digital Chassis. The goal is to provide automakers with a variety of tools they can use to help make their cars more intelligent and more connected (although companies can pick and choose which of the platforms they want to use).

Those include:

  • Snapdragon Ride, which provides driver assistance and automated driving technologies
  • Snapdragon Cockpit, for in-car experiences, including SoCs and software solutions for powering multiple displays and audio / video / multimedia
  • Snapdragon Auto Connectivity, for providing automakers with LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, and GPS solutions for connecting cars to the internet, cloud, and other vehicles
  • Snapdragon
… Read More

Geely Holding Welcomes New Investors in Volvo Cars

By Michael J. Moody 8 months ago


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

2021 October 29, Hangzhou. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), China’s largest private-owned automotive group, today welcomed new equity investors to Volvo Cars following the completion of an initial public offering on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange valuing the Swedish premium automotive group at SEK 158 billion.

Geely Holding, which acquired Volvo Cars in 2010, has overseen a significant increase in the value of its Scandinavian subsidiary in a decade which has seen the automaker expand its manufacturing footprint to include plants in China and the US, achieve record volume sale and to embark of a transition strategy to full electrification.

Eric Li, Founder and Chair of both Geely Holding and Volvo Cars, said: “We are proud of the success achieved by Volvo Cars, which has flourished as part of Geely Holding Group to become the fastest transformer in the global premium segment. By delivering on this strategy as a newly

… Read More