Great move on the Head Unit if you can get the developer experience right and leverage the existing Android App ecosystem! I'm excited to see how some of these things play out.
There are so many industries that can benefit hugely from integration into the vehicle in a more standardized way such as a native android application.
Gig Economy workers with orders, directions, etc. all prioritized on screen.
Fleet coordination software running natively in the car on a huge screen is much more feasible.
Order and pay for drivethru, list goes on
Regarding the Google Play ecosystem, will the available applications have to be approved by Ford for in vehicle use or is Google the gatekeeper in this situation? Are these native android applications running on the head unit?
What does this head unit OS change mean for CarPlay, Android Auto, and AppLink? Will customers still be able to use those technologies or is this a strategic move in another direction?