• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 6, 2014

Google, Audi, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai and chipmaker Nvidia have joined together to bring the Android operating system to cars through the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA) in a deal that will turn car entertainment systems into Android-connected devices.

The OAA alliance is intended to provide better integration between cars and Android devices and a safer experience that will create an "open development model" to accelerate the use of technology in cars. It will allow automakers to bring the latest technology to drivers, and create new opportunities for developers to power connected experiences in cars. The group will focus on bringing the Android mobile operating system (OS) to cars in entertainment systems this year.

The first news of Google's push into entertainment systems came last year. Reports surfaced that the company would partner with Audi. Google is not the only company supporting in-car entertainment systems -- it follows Microsoft Sync's deal with Ford, and Apple Siri's deal with BMW, Mercedes, GM, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler, and Honda.

Patrick Brady, director of Android engineering, explains in a blog post that the creation of this alliance represents the beginning of the company's push to closely support the automotive industry.

Google may dominate search engine marketing, but Android needs a bit of a push to control the OS market. For smartphone and tablet device operating system market share, iOS holds 54.27% market share compared with Android at 35.41%, per data firm NetMarketShare. Market share numbers for December 2013 put Windows at 78.04% share, compared with iOS at 7.24%, Mac at 6.48% and Android at 4.72%.