The Future of Google Built-in: How Honda May Handle a Used Car, And How Tesla Will Add Its Own Security Sensors and Game Libraries

Over the last decade, GOOGLE has tried to get into the car space, but has not been able to because of the fear of competition. But the company has been increasingly successful in getting major car companies to bend to its will, including Ford, GM, Volvo, Honda, and BMW.

The new Accord will come with a 12.3-inch center screen and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. The largest screen Honda has ever made, is bigger than Volvo’s 9 inch screen in the XC40, a car that also uses Google built-in.

If you don’t know, “Google built-in” is just another name for the software giant’s vehicle operating system. Considering Google also has a similarly-named phone-to-car integration system called Android Auto (like Apple’s CarPlay), it makes sense that the less confusing “Google built-in” seems to be the company’s preferred name going forward.

Honda’s vehicle OTA updates will “add function two, three, or eight years after it’s been sold,” says American Honda Motor Co. VP of CASE and Energy Jay Joseph, speaking to Automotive News. Joseph said that it can change the dynamics of the used-vehicle market.

It would be a fairly new concept for Honda — and many other automakers — to improve owner experiences and add functionality through software updates after purchasing the vehicle. Tesla leads the way in this space by adding dozens of features throughout the life of its vehicles: from enabling its cameras to capture security footage to building a video game library.