When it comes to in-vehicle entertainment systems, you can be sure that plenty of leaps in technology has been made in this aspect, and gone are the days when you can just play a CD and be happy with it. Old school video game consoles have even been integrated into head units on a car seat, while more complex operating systems are being introduced as well. Toyota has worked alongside Asus-owned Unimax to deliver what they call the “Toyota Intelligent System”, which is actually a Nexus 7 that has been docked into certain vehicles.
While Android integration has already started to make its way into modern-day automobiles, the next step forward is Android Auto, which should start surfacing in model year 2015 vehicles later this year and into next year. We’re already seeing quite a few companies through their weight behind the effort, but it seems that Toyota has something completely different in mind — at least in Taiwan. Partnering with Asus-owned Unimax, Toyota has announced the “Toyota Intelligent System”, which essentially brings a dockable Nexus 7 to select vehicles. The idea is that ‘smart’ infotainment systems are useful, but also tend to go obsolete long before you’re ready to upgrade to a new car. With the TIS, the heart of your experience is within a replaceable tablet. Today it’s the Nexus 7, but in the future Toyota and Unimax could make another newer tablet compatible with the system, provided it has the same overall dimensions.