Roewe 350 – World’s First Android-Powered Car

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It might be surprising for some and unbelievable for others to check out Android-powered car. But that’s true, Chinese Auto-Makers Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation SAIC, makers of luxury cars, is launching an “Android Car” known as Roewe 350. This first car featuring Android would hit streets literally next month in China. The Roewe 350 is predicted to debut at the Beijing Auto Show coming month with the prominent feature of being the first car to ship with a GPS navigation/DVD system powered by Google’s operating system Android meant mostly at mobiles but also at other embedded devices.

According to Zdnet

The Roewe 350 boasts a DVD and GPS system running on the most recent OS release: Android 2.1. Some of the amenities include direct web access and real-time traffic reports. The system also provides access to chat applications, which should really be a passenger-only activity while the vehicle is in motion. While it seems nice to have, it seems like it could be too tempting to some careless and reckless drivers.

Further information and sources reveal that Roewe 350 would launch with a 1.5VVT engine, but a 1.5 Turbo engine is also in the works according to various different media outlets. The 1.5l engine is good for 105bhp and 135Nm of torque making it great for inner city jaunts. Pricing for the car is expected to range from 70,000rmb to 130,000rmb, and will no doubt sell over 5000 units per month easily.

Although this is not the first time Google’s software is making it to cars, previously Audi A8 appeared with Google Earth pre-installed, yet this is interesting to note and let’s see how people enjoy riding this one!