Google Announces Partnerships with Ford and General Motors

Google announced that it has extended its Google Maps Send-to-Car service to Ford and GM vehicles. This applies to Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in the US that are enabled with Ford SYNC, as well as OnStar equipped GM vehicles, which include models from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn.

Users of the Send-to-Car service can send business listings or addresses found on Google Maps directly to their cars. The expansion of the service is great news for local businesses, and perhaps makes it all the more important to hone their Google Maps presence.

"Drivers can then use their car maker’s turn-by-turn navigation system to be guided to their selected destination. With today’s additions, drivers can send destinations from Google Maps directly to their connected vehicles in 19 countries and more than 20 different brands," says Markus Mühlbauer, Engineering and Product Manager. "In the US alone, Send-To-Car is now available on more than 15 car brands and we hope to see even more partners join us soon."

"We think this is a great convenience for drivers – Prepare your route at your desk, send the destination to your car, and safely enjoy your ride – hands on the wheel, eyes on the road," he adds. "We also like to think that in the age of green driving, not having to print paper directions anymore is a great start of a green trip!"

Now imagine if Google gets Android into that many vehicles one day, and consider the potential for apps that cater to the driving experience. Also consider that app-making is getting simpler.

There are 6 Comments. Add Yours.

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Rajesh Kumar
July 14, 2010 at 1:14 pm

I think any new start from Google never go in vain, it will definitely help drivers.

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Adsense Publisher
July 14, 2010 at 3:55 pm

Isn’t it enough that driving while texting causes accidents?

Now people will be able to get their twitter alerts and all sorts of games and other applications and we’ll have Google to thank for all the accidents that could’ve been avoided all because Google wants to make a few extra dollars and put their OS and applications into cars.

I would like to see a heads up overlay instead of your GPS being in such a position it causes you to take your eyes off the road, even for a second. Then, and only then would I ever drive a car like that.

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  ScienceLives
  July 15, 2010 at 4:05 pm
  
  I’m not sure of the details, but I think this is to give you directions using Sync’s voice … so instead of the driver looking over and trying to read a printed paper with directions while driving, the voice would tell you where to turn … which seems a lot safer to me! But, as with some of the cooler features of Sync, it appears to be only available in the U.S. – which is annoying for Ford owners in this half of the continent.
  
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Bob
July 14, 2010 at 5:07 pm

Yeah, like the day I got lost using their directions. I was greeted at a “Dead End” road with a “Lookie what we got us here boys, a colored boy!” Haven’t been able to sleep well since then.

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James
July 14, 2010 at 10:15 pm

I think the GPS navs are fairly interesting. I don’t what Google plans to bring to it that the other vendors aren’t already doing.

I suspect it has more to do with data collection than anything.

Just crossing my fingers that Google is plastered everywhere I go in the next 10 years. Can’t wait for the Google Bus Shelter live maps. (no data collection, so it probably won’t happen unless they throw adwords on it.)

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andrew
July 16, 2010 at 2:20 am

We seem to be more and more able to “plug in” somewhere. I dont know about anyone else but i still like to have spaces where Im not connected to the outside world in any shape of form.