Fiat Chrysler Uconnect 5 Infotainment Switches To Android

Automotive infotainment systems that are built on a base of Google’s Android mobile operating system are nothing new. Numerous manufacturers including Honda and Hyundai have used the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for these systems. However, 2020 will see the launch of new in-vehicle platforms based on a new variant called Android Automotive. Among those are the Uconnect 5 system from Fiat Chrysler. 

Ever since Google launched Android for smartphones back in 2008, they have released the underlying code for the operating system through AOSP. AOSP is free for companies to use for a wide variety of applications and it can be found in everything from cheap convenience store tablets to smart ovens to a range of IoT devices. Honda vehicles introduced in the last half of the 2010s are also built on AOSP. While Google makes the code available, they don’t really support it and services like Maps and Assistant aren’t available.

Several years ago, Google announced Android Automotive, a specific branch of Android designed for in-vehicle systems. Automakers can license this version and also get access to many of the services that users of Android phones take advantage of. That’s the code that underpins Uconnect 5. Volvo is building its new infotainment from the same base and including the full suite of Google services including the Play store to download vehicle specific apps directly to the vehicle. 

However, FCA appears to be taking a slightly different approach. Instead of Google maps and assistant, FCA will be using maps and navigation from TomTom and Amazon’s Alexa voice services. At this point, FCA hasn’t discussed anything about Google services in Uconnect 5 so we don’t know if users will be able to download and run Android apps on the vehicle screen. 

Like other Android-powered systems, Uconnect 5 will have support for existing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both with wireless connections. Thus if you prefer using Apple or Google Maps or Waze, you will still have the ability to skip the embedded TomTom system. The same is true for Siri and Assistant digital voice assistants if you aren’t an Alexa user. For those that do like the Amazon solution, the car will work just like Echo devices in the home. That means you get access to Amazon music streaming, triggering Alexa skills for smart home devices, calling other Echo devices and anything else that Amazon adds. 

The user interface for Uconnect 5 has also been revamped with a card style interface that enables users to customize the screen with their most used functions. Now that vehicles are available with a range of screen sizes and orientations, the interface has also been optimized for each variant. Uconnect 5 will be offered on landscape and portrait screens from 7 to 12.3-inches across. 

Two main variants will be offered, the base Uconnect 5 sourced from Mitsubishi Electric and Uconnect 5 Plus from Harman. The Plus version has more processing power and memory, support for premium audio and active noise cancellation and the TomTom and Alexa integration. The embedded voice recognition to control vehicle functions in the Plus version also has support for a wake word to trigger it and natural language voice processing. The system also has the ability to connect two Bluetooth phones at the same time so drivers with a work and personal device or travelling companions can all be connected. 

New FCA vehicles with Uconnect 5 will also have a new electrical architecture dubbed Atlantis which replaces the old Powernet system. For the first time in FCA vehicles, this architecture will have support for over-the-air updates. It’s not clear yet how extensive the support for OTA will be, since FCA indicates that some updates may still require a service visit. 

Uconnect 5 should start appearing on some vehicles later this year and roll out across the board as vehicles get redesigned in the next few years.