The BIg 2

Fiat has taken full ownership of Chrysler, and the combined entity will be called Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and will be headquartered (for tax purposes) in the UK, not Italy. With that, the "Big 3" are now the "Big 2", as GM and Ford are the only remaining American owned major auto makers. (Sorry Tesla, you don't count yet, come back when you make over 100,000 cars/year)

I see some bruised feelings all around. Auburn Hills is once again second fiddle. Italy loses Fiat's corporate registration. And the "A" in FCA lost its cross bar for some reason.

Tesla's First Fire Related Recall

They don't want to call it a recall, but, NHTSA does. And that's the law.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults?refurl=email&searchType=ID&targetCategory=R&searchCriteria.nhtsa_ids=14V006

Of course, this is for faulty charger pigtails, and not battery road damage induced fires.

"Military Grade" Aluminum F150?

I'm trying to absorb Ford's marketing for the just revealed 2015 F150. The most significant new feature, of course, is the aluminum body (fenders, hood, cab, doors, and cargo box). Ford keeps calling the aluminum ally "military grade", but I'm not sure what that means. It may just mean that the alloy they chose for the truck (something in the 6000 series) has an official U.S. military specification.

Ford's job, of course, is to convince the guys in Texas that the new truck will be as tough and durable as the steel truck. I think the up-coming webisodes about durability testing will go a long way towards that.

(Image courtesy of Ford.com)

New partnership to bring Android to the open road

In this multi-screen world, switching between our different devices should be easy and seamless. Common platforms allow for one connected experience across our phone, tablet and PC, so we get the right information at the right time, no matter what device we�re using. But there�s still an important device that isn�t yet connected as seamlessly to the other screens in our lives � the car.

To help address that gap, today we�re announcing a new partnership that will bring Android, the world�s largest open platform, to the open road. Google has teamed up with automotive and technology leaders Audi, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Nvidia to form the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), a global alliance aimed at accelerating auto innovation with an approach that offers openness, customization and scale.

Today, millions of people already bring Android phones and tablets into their cars, but it�s not yet a driving-optimized experience. Wouldn't it be great if you could bring your favorite apps and music with you, and use them safely with your car's built-in controls and in-dash display? Together with our OAA partners, we're working to enable new forms of integration with Android devices, and adapting Android for the car to make driving safer, easier and more enjoyable for everyone. Putting Android in the car will bring drivers apps and services they already know and love, while enabling automakers to more easily deliver cutting-edge technology to their customers. And it will create new opportunities for developers to extend the variety and depth of the Android app ecosystem in new, exciting and safe ways.

But this is just the beginning; we welcome other automotive and technology companies to join the OAA, to work together to build a common platform to drive innovation in the car and bring Android to the open road. Learn more about the OAA at openautoalliance.net, and stay tuned in 2014 for more updates coming soon to a car near you.

Posted by Patrick Brady, Director, Android Engineering