May 21, 2025 |-Volvo Cars today announced an expanded partnership with Google™, to more rapidly deliver the latest Android Automotive OS innovations to customers that own Volvo models with Google built-in. This includes Google Gemini™, which the companies demonstrated together at Google I/O 2025 in a Volvo EX90. Also, Volvo cars will now serve as one of Google’s reference hardware platforms for future Android development in cars.
“For years, Google and Volvo Cars have collaborated closely to bring cutting-edge technology to connected cars,” said Patrick Brady, Vice President of Android for Cars, Google. “We’re excited to deepen this partnership, accelerating the pace of innovation that will not only improve the driving experience for Volvo customers but also set new benchmarks for the automotive industry.”
With Google’s upcoming launch of Google Gemini in the car, drivers of Volvo cars with Google built-in will be among the first to benefit from the power of the latest conversational AI technology.
Gemini in the car can better understand what you want while driving through natural conversations. You can talk naturally to craft messages, translate them into another language before sending, ask questions from the car’s user manual or learn specific details about your destination. This kind of natural conversation can help reduce your cognitive load so that you can stay focused on driving, reducing distractions for everyone onboard.
Gemini will replace the current Google Assistant in Volvo cars with Google built-in later this year.
Volvo drivers among the first to enjoy new Android features
Through the expanded partnership, Volvo cars now also become one of the reference hardware platforms for Google’s development work on the Android operating system for cars. This means Google will use Volvo Cars as a lead development partner for new features and updates, before adding them to the main Android codebase. This allows Google and Volvo Cars to innovate together on new connected experiences, making sure Volvo drivers will be among the first to enjoy the latest Android features and performance enhancements. It will also accelerate advancements in the connected car space for the entire automotive industry and drivers around the world.
“We strive to deliver human-centric technology, and a stunning customer experience is an essential part of this. Through this partnership with Google, we are able to bring the very latest features and capabilities from the leading consumer eco-system into our products first,” says Alwin Bakkenes, head of global software engineering at Volvo Cars. “With our expanding partnership, we’re collaborating on cutting-edge solutions that shape the future of connected cars.”
