"Consumers are finally starting to shop for cars with the expectation that the vehicles operate with the technology, design and pace of innovation that they are used to with their mobile phones," he said Wednesday at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit. "Meeting this heightened consumer expectation is challenging."
While Brenner focused on what Android Auto is doing, he also offered some thoughts on rival Apple, and gave some predictions for the future.
His observations — made during the two-day gathering of auto industry watchers at the Renaissance Center — are part of a larger, ongoing conversation the auto industry has been having this week about digital technology and how it's changing the driving experience.
Automakers, which have been competing for a decade to develop navigation and communication systems, now recognize that in addition to the technology in the car, many consumers want to connect and use their phone with their car in a simple and safe way.
"How do you keep up with consumers who are used to changing their phone every six months and updating their apps every six days?" Brenner asked. "Right now, cars that embrace new infotainment technologies have the potential to differentiate and attract consumers with these features. But, in the very near future, consumers are going to demand that every car be connected, app enabled and updated."
Android Auto, which is partnering with developers and manufacturers, aims to offer access to Google Maps with free voice-guided navigation, live traffic information, lane guidance, on-demand Google Play Music and the ability to place phone calls or send and receive messages while keeping your hands on the wheel.
And, he said, the number of partnership — and brands that will incorporate the technology — is increasing.
The company now has about 60 partners, and by the end of the year, he said, it expects that about 20 brands will offer Android Auto technology.
In May, GM announced that plugging either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay into the vehicle's touch screen would be available on 14 Chevrolet models beginning with the 2016 models.
Earlier this month, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said the fourth-generation version of its Uconnect infotainment system will include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
And Ford also has plans to adopt Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Brenner underscored how better and more digital technology helps to drive phone integration into cars. This includes enhanced car displays and improved controls; cloud-based services; smarter, more intuitive apps that are designed for cars and not just phones, and voice command.
He said he didn't know exactly what tech competitor Apple is doing with iPhones, but he praised the company's efforts.
"I actually think it's great that those using iPhones who I share the road with are using CarPlay, because I assume it's similar to us, and it's going to make the road safer for everyone," he said. "Anything we can do to reduce distraction for people in their cars — whether they have an Android phone or an iPhone — I think is a huge benefit."
Brenner said Android Auto is constantly testing its technology and efforts in its lab, as well as working with the auto industry and the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration to allow customers to use its systems safely. Controls that allow drivers to glance away from the road less and use voice commands are helping, he said.
He also hinted that drivers should expect more phone features — and even some augmented reality — in the future.
"We see our phones as the centerpiece of our digital lives," Brenner said, "They can potentially be used in the car as identity to unlock our doors, personalize our car experience for both the driver and passengers and to provide key connections to all the cloud connections to all the services and all the information consumers store online and want to have accessible in the car."
©2016 the Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
