All-Electric Volvo XC40 Gets New Android-Powered Infotainment System

The new infotainment system for the all-electric Volvo XC40 | Manufacturer image

By Brian Normile

October 9, 2019

The upcoming all-electric Volvo XC40 is getting a new infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS that will offer over-the-air updates and integrates Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play Store. The system will be the first-ever Volvo multimedia system to offer over-the-air updates, allowing owners to run the latest version of the operating system as well as keep apps and features up-to-date.

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Using Android Automotive OS also allows Volvo’s in-house developers and third-party developers familiar with Android to create new and car-specific versions of existing apps. The integrated Google Assistant will also allow owners to control smart-home devices.

Google Maps will use real-time traffic information to select and update the best route to a destination. It will also include information about available charging stations along the way in case the XC40’s battery capacity runs low. Google Maps will also provide information to the XC40’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, such as speed limits and road contours, in order to improve those systems’ capabilities.

The new system will also work with the existing Volvo on Call system to allow owners to precondition the XC40, locate the car, remotely lock or unlock the car, and even allow sharing of the XC40 via a digital key.

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It was not immediately clear what this new system means for iPhone owners — for example, whether this system will allow the same Apple CarPlay compatibility that other Volvo infotainment systems offer.

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Road Test Editor Brian Normile joined the automotive industry and Cars.com in 2013 and became part of the Editorial staff in 2014. Brian spent his childhood devouring every car magazine he got his hands on — not literally, eventually — and now reviews and tests vehicles to help consumers make informed choices. Someday, Brian hopes to learn what to do with his hands when he’s reviewing a car on camera, and to turn his 2021 Hyundai Veloster N into a tribute to the great Renault mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive hatchbacks. He would daily-drive an Alfa Romeo 4C if he could. Email Brian Normile