Google Controls the Car 'Brain'

Google is positioning Android Automotive to govern more than the infotainment screen — taking charge of climate, seating, lighting, digital keys, driver profiles, and OTA updates so cars become extensions of users' digital accounts. Automakers are invited to adopt Google's foundational code, outsourcing more software work while retaining branding and UX layers. — This shift foregrounds platform power in physical infrastructure: it concentrates control and data with a tech giant, reshapes competition and supply chains, and creates new privacy, safety, and regulatory questions about who controls a vehicle’s software stack.