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Google's new Android Autos OS unveiled, will be in cars this year [w/video]

Connected cars are coming en-masse. We know this much. How, though, remains something of an open question, especially as two of the world's largest tech companies are preparing to battle for control of your car's dashboard. On the one hand, we have Apple and its CarPlay system. And now, we know what Google has been working on with Auto Link.
Its new name is Android Auto, and yes, it's based off the Android architecture that is the primary challenger to Apple's iOS mobile operating system. Announced at Google's I/O conference today, Android Auto functions similarly to CarPlay - owners will need to plug their smartphones into their cars to access the full breadth of capability.
In Android Auto's case, that means a wealth of voice controls to limit distracted driving. Google's marquee apps will be available when the interface arrives in production models later this year, including Google Play Music, Google Maps and voice-activated texting and text playback. Meanwhile, developers will be able to begin designing custom apps for the new system via an upcoming software development kit.

FCA explains, updates sales reporting in wake of investigation

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for possible misappropriation of monthly sales. Not only that but a dealer group filed a lawsuit against the auto company for allegedly bribing dealers to falsify sales reports. In the wake of these mounting pressures, FCA released a report explaining their old sales reporting methods, as well as introducing the method they will use now. The report explains that sales will break down into three main categories. The first category is simply sales made by dealers in the United States that were purchased by your typical consumer. The second group is fleet sales that were purchased directly from FCA. The final group is a mix of various sales including sales by Puerto Rican dealers, cars used for marketing, and vehicles delivered to FCA employees and retirees. The original method of recording these sales relied mainly on the New Vehicle Delivery Report (NVDR). This system allowed dealers to report new car sales at the time of sale. These sales were used to create and report a total at the end of each month. Dealers also had the ability to "unwind" sales. What this means is that a dealer could cancel the sale of a car that was reported as sold in the event that a customer couldn't purchase the car or wanted a different vehicle. This would also return factory incentives to Chrysler and end the warranty period. Fleet and other sales were not recorded through this system, and were rather included in a separate "reserve" of vehicles. FCA explained that it did not know why this was the case, but the company speculated the reason may have been to avoid reporting vehicles that hadn't made it to road use yet. FCA also emphasized that their retail sales reports do not reflect quarterly earnings. The company explained that those earnings are based on vehicles purchased from FCA, which includes sales like the cars dealers buy for their local inventories. The new method also shows FCA's long run of sales increases wasn't as long as first thought. FCA has adopted a new system for calculating sales in light of concerns and confusion. This system retains the categories listed above, but changes how it counts them. The dealer reported numbers will now only include sold vehicles and will deduct sales of unwound vehicles that month.

Chrysler gets presidential in ads for 200 and 300

Many people are already tired of the candidates in the 2016 presidential race, but Chrysler's new spokesmen are two former Commanders-in-Chief that just about everyone can support – Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman. Sheen had Aaron Sorkin's writing to guarantee he always knew the right thing to say as President Josiah Bartlet on The West Wing, and Pullman fought an alien invasion from a fighter jet as president in Independence Day. Now, these former on-screen presidents help Chrysler sell the 300 and 200 in two new ads. American-est (above) lets Sheen go wild spouting meaningless patriotic aphorisms while slipping in references to the cars' features. Swerve (below) gets a little more directly political by joking about pandering to "nuts" on the fringe during the primary, but the actors still slide in a mention of the vehicles' safety tech. These spots might help Chrysler move a few more units of the 200 before the company impeaches the sedan from the lineup, and the automaker also promises more commercials with Sheen and Pullman in the coming months. We hope Pullman jokes about his fight against aliens in one of the future commercials. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. CHRYSLER PUTS ELECTION YEAR TWIST ON ITS NEW "PRESIDENTIAL" MARKETING CAMPAIGN FEATURING MARTIN SHEEN AND BILL PULLMAN Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman reprise presidential roles in series of television spots "Premium to the People" marketing campaign debuts just in time for President's Day Additional television spots in campaign series with Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman will be introduced in coming months Campaign's first two spots, "American-est" and "Swerve" feature both the Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300 360-degree campaign to feature television, print, online, social and digital extensions February 15, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Chrysler brand is launching a new campaign, "Premium to the People," featuring actors Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman. The campaign will launch with two commercials – "American-est" and "Swerve" – both featuring the Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300. A :60-second "American-est" will launch across online, in addition to the :30-second "Swerve" across both television and online, today, February 15 (President's Day). Additional television spots will roll out in the coming weeks and months. A :30-second version of "American-est" debuted across television on Sunday, February 14.