The carmaker said that major functions will be integrated into the Audi Multi Media Interface (MMI) in the future, with customers able to choose at any time which of these platforms they wish to use in their cars.

‘Our customers want to be “always on” and use the services they know from their smartphones in cars as well,’ said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. ‘In this regard, we are working closely with leading companies like Google and Apple. In the future, customers will be able to use the functions available to them on their smartphones via the operating systems in their cars as well.’

‘User friendliness and low distraction are important parameters for integrating these functions. Data security also plays a vital role. We are separating the vehicle-related functions from the infotainment features, thereby securing the data against unauthorised access. The customer has to give express consent for the use of data generated in the vehicle,’ he added.

The carmaker is a founding member of the Google Open Automotive Alliance (OAA) launched in early 2014 with the goal of integrating the Android platform and its apps into cars under the “Android Auto” banner.