Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi Alliance Ties Up with Google

Tokyo, Sept. 18 (Jiji Press)--The alliance of Japan's Nissan Motor Co. <7201>, France's Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. <7211>, Nissan's Japanese affiliate, said Tuesday that it has tied up with Google Inc. of the United States to boost efforts to promote connected cars. Under the tie-up, the trio plans to make use of Google's Android operating system to combine their cloud system with an array of infotainment services offered by the information and technology giant, such as Google Maps, the Google Assistant and the Google Play Store. The next-generation system will enable users of the three automakers' vehicles, which will have voice recognition functions, to send email and search for places they want to visit, such as restaurants, officials of the alliance members said. Even after getting off their cars, users will be receiving turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps through smartphones to reach their destinations on foot, they noted. The Android-based cloud system, to be introduced in 2021, can also remotely check for any abnormalities and prompt drivers to take their vehicles for inspection or repair. The Japanese-French alliance aims to boost its global vehicle sales from 10.6 million units in 2017 to over 14 million units in 2022. It also hopes to make connected vehicles account for 90 pct of its sales in major markets, such as Japan, the United States and Europe. END