Ford Rival Hyundai Partners With Google For Next-Gen Infotainment

For a number of years, The Blue Oval worked with Google to develop what’s now known as the Ford Digital Experience (or Lincoln Digital Experience) infotainment software, which officially debuted in January 2024. That software has since rolled out in a number of refreshed and redesigned models including the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, as well as the 2025 Lincoln Aviator, Ford Explorer, and Ford Expedition. Now, Ford rival Hyundai has revealed that it’s also working with Google to develop its next-generation infotainment software, too.

That software is called Pleos Connect, which Hyundai notes is based on the Android Automotive OS (AAOS). However, it utilizes its own unique and customizable features, including a personalized service environment based on “Pleos ID” – a single, connected user profile accessible in any Pleos Connect-based vehicle. Pleos Connect features a smartphone-like user interface with split-view, multi-window functions and a voice recognition-based artificial intelligence feature called “Gleo AI” that enables intelligent vehicle control, too.

Hyundai notes that Pleos Connect is designed to provide a more natural type of user experience for those that are used to relying on their smartphones for all sorts of tasks, and claim that it enhances compatibility for mobile apps with that in mind – all while allowing for “maximum openness and scalability of the Android development ecosystem.” Pleos Connect is slated to debut in the very first Hyundai model in Q2 2026, with a rapid expansion to over 20 million vehicles by 2030. Unlike Ford Digital Experience, there is no mention of Pleos Connect using any built-in Google Services like Maps, however, so it’s unclear if that will be the case.

“In the rapidly changing automotive industry, Hyundai Motor Group has been dedicated to SDV development since 2023. Today, starting with Pleos 25, we are transforming into a company providing software-centered mobility experiences,” said Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor and Kia’s Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division. “Our ultimate goal is to achieve Cloud Mobility, where all forms of mobility are connected through software on the cloud, and continuously evolve over time. Pleos serves to create a connected mobility experience expanding from a vehicle to fleets, hardware to software, and ultimately to the entire mobility infrastructure and cities.”