Until now, Google has been winning the car operating system battle almost quietly. Now it’s a little more visible.
As Google and McLaren recently announced, Google is now involved as a sponsor in Formula 1 and Formula E.
In future, McLaren cars will have chrome branding on the hubcaps attached to the wheels to highlight the Chrome logo. There will also be a relatively large Android logo in a particularly commanding position on the engine cover behind the cockpit. In addition to the lettering of the mobile operating system, the famous bugdroid that Google has been using since the introduction of Android will also be visible.
McLaren drivers will also wear Google product logos on their suits. Google also intends to give a technological hand to McLaren. McLaren teams have various 5G-enabled Android devices running the Chrome browser, at least according to the racing team in its press release.
We are pleased to announce a new and exciting partnership with @Qualcommas from today, the San Diego, California-based company, will be our Premium Partner through @Snapdragon.
➡️ https://t.co/aCxJF59I8RWe can’t wait to welcome your logo on the F1-75!#essereFerrari ? pic.twitter.com/6PnX67TSVv
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 8, 2022
This announcement comes a few weeks after another announcement from a tech giant. Qualcomm recently announced that the US chip giant will add a “Snapdragon” logo to Scuderia Ferrari vehicles to promote its mobile processors.
Why Google is interested in F1
When a brand or company decides to sponsor something, it’s usually a business decision. It is the equivalent of a communication campaign and these are announcements that are not processed, except when the collaboration gives rise to specific products.
The primary goal of sponsors is to build brand awareness and build excitement around their brand. Until then, you don’t learn anything new.
The fact is that now tech giants like Google and Qualcomm are sponsoring the biggest car race in the world is not anecdotal.
Imposing Android Automotive
Google intends to impose Android Automotive, the American group wants to orchestrate electronics, which are increasingly present in cars. This is an “automotive” version of the system which already equips four out of five mobile phones in the world… We already find Android Automotive, as an infotainment system, at Volvo, Ford, Lucid, Stellantis or even Renault .
As Tesla has shown, the automobile is changing: they are now filled with electronic components in shambles, they have a large screen as a dashboard, software applications for management and access to different functions and applications, software that simply needs to be updated OTA to add new functions…
The stakes of this transformation by the software are important. They imply a complete change in the economic model of the sector. This explains the significant investment of Google and Qualcomm in Formula 1 and Formula E.
In this new model, the value of the connected vehicle is boosted by artificial intelligence, data and software. Google’s ambitions in the sector then become clear. Until now, Google has been winning the car operating system battle almost quietly. Now it’s a little more visible.
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