Autos 
 
 That kid—the one in the back of the SUV with the iPad—is the automotive industry’s worst enemy. He’s also the reason some of the world’s biggest automakers are working with Google to bring its Android software into vehicle infotainment systems. 
 
 Early this morning, Google (GOOG) announced the Open Automotive Alliance. It’s a group of technology and automotive companies, including General Motors (GM), Honda Motor (HMC), Audi, Hyundai, and chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA), that want to customize Google’s popular mobile operating system for vehicles. The technology companies get a chance to place their wares into hundreds of millions of cars. Meanwhile, the automakers have an opportunity to modernize the software inside their vehicles and try to keep pace with the mobile devices that are starting to make high-profit infotainment systems obsolete. 
 
 The announcement comes the day before the official opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show held this week in Las Vegas, where the theme of car-as-gadget (also called “the connected car”) is expected to dominate. Volkswagen’s (VOW) Audi unit and GM are among the slate of auto companies at CES, which is promoting the growth of car-related exhibits. 
 
 Car companies have traditionally rejected the latest and greatest gizmos, preferring stable, proven technology. It’s a stance that makes sense given the safety and reliability concerns they face. The rise and rapid evolution of smartphones and tablets, however, has put a great deal of pressure on these automotive traditions. The mapping services that come free with smartphones have become a compelling alternative to pricey built-in navigation systems. Similarly, a parent might prefer to hand a child a tablet or phone loaded with movies, games, and apps rather than rely on a single DVD playing on backseat screens. 
 
 So far, carmakers have largely responded with custom in-car software systems. Ford Motor (F) and Microsoft (MSFT) collaborated on MyFord Touch, which ties cars to mobile devices and allows for things like voice commands. Other carmakers use the QNX software acquired by BlackBerry (BBRY), homegrown software, or variants of the Linux operating system. While the strategy helps car companies create products that differ from their rivals’, it also requires software companies to write different applications for each carmaker—a costly and time-consuming process. 
 
 There have already been attempts to solve this problem through partnerships. In 2009, BMW, GM, Intel (INTC), and others, for example, announced the Genivi Alliance, a stab at collaborating around the Linux operating system and supporting software that has had modest results. (Genivi is sponsoring a panel at CES called, alarmingly, “Collaborate or Die” (PDF).) 
 
 Android, a variant of Linux, has an advantage over other software because of its dominance in the mobile device industry. The electronics and computing supply chain throughout Asia, Europe, and the U.S. tends to test and tune new components first for Android, providing intense interest and deep expertise around the software. For the automakers, this could translate into access to newer, better technology and lower costs for testing equipment. App makers are also used to creating software for Android. In addition, the likes of BMW, Kia, Audi, and Toyota Motor (TM) already use Google technology for search, maps, and other functions. 
 
 Tesla Motors (TSLA) is among the cutting-edge automakers that have popularized the notion of a computer on wheels as the next evolution of the car. The company’s all-electric Model S sedan ships with a 17-inch touch screen and ready access to things like streaming radio. With a few finger swipes, you can split the screen to have a massive top section for Google Maps and a lower section for music. 
 
 Elsewhere in Silicon Valley, new companies like CloudCar are working to bridge the technology and automotive realms. The company has built a small computing device that can be plugged into a car to give it a modern infotainment system. The idea is that automakers could then upgrade the small unit as needed to bring new features to their vehicles. In addition, software makers would have a common device to aim at with their applications. Ford has also set up a research center in Palo Alto and open-sourced some of the innards of its cars’ control software to let people create things like custom speedometers. ||||| File - In this Dec. 12, 2013 file photo, a man with a mobile phone walks by the Samsung Electronics logos at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics said Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, it... (Associated Press) 
 
 File - In this Dec. 12, 2013 file photo, a man with a mobile phone walks by the Samsung Electronics logos at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics said Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, it has agreed to acquire auto-systems maker Harman for $8 billion as the South Korean giant eyes the growing... (Associated Press) 
 
 File - In this Dec. 12, 2013 file photo, a man with a mobile phone walks by the Samsung Electronics logos at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics said Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, it has agreed to acquire auto-systems maker Harman for $8 billion as the South Korean giant eyes the growing... (Associated Press) File - In this Dec. 12, 2013 file photo, a man with a mobile phone walks by the Samsung Electronics logos at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics said Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, it... (Associated Press) 
 
 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics' $8 billion acquisition of the U.S. auto electronics company Harman will instantly transform the South Korean tech company into a major player in the highly competitive and rapidly growing market for auto infotainment, software and connected car technology. 
 
 Samsung announced Monday that it would pay $112.00 per share in cash for the Stamford, Connecticut, company. It's Samsung's largest acquisition by far and it will put the company in a strong position as the race to develop autonomous vehicles barrels forward. 
 
 Harman International Industries Inc. is already is a $7 billion-in-sales per year player in the automotive market. It makes touch screens that control vehicle functions and infotainment systems, and it's dominant in automotive sound systems with brands such as Harman Kardon, JBL, Infinity and Mark Levinson. 
 
 In recent years Harman has used acquisitions to move into over-the-internet software updates and cyber security. 
 
 Harman complements Samsung's work in electronic displays and computer processors and, because of its established reputation in the auto industry, gives Samsung a strong foothold there, said Sam Abuelsamid, senior analyst for Navigant Research. 
 
 Samsung plans to keep Harman as an independent subsidiary and retain its management team, the companies said. That allows Samsung to enter the auto business with a different and well-established brand, avoiding any image problems because of the recent Samsung Galaxy Note 7 cell phone battery fires. 
 
 "They're looking for other revenue streams not necessarily as dependent on consumer perceptions," Abuelsamid said. 
 
 Sophisticated telematics systems will be in most new cars by 2020 to support over-the-internet software updates and other functions, Abuelsamid said. Since Harman already supplies screens and software, Samsung can get in the door to sell computer chips, he said. 
 
 The deal also positions Samsung well as car computers take on more and more driving functions while en route to fully autonomous cars, Abuelsamid said. Last month, Samsung bought artificial intelligence firm Viv Labs, founded by creators of Apple's Siri. It also recently bought a cloud service company, a mobile payments firm and a connected home startup. 
 
 "They're putting together a lot of the pieces that they could integrate to supply some of these companies," Abuelsamid said. 
 
 More than 30 million cars already are equipped with Harman components, and most of its sales for the year that ended Sept. 30 came from auto-related technologies. 
 
 "Upon closing, the transaction will immediately give Samsung a significant presence in the large and rapidly growing market for connected technologies, particularly automotive electronics, which has been a strategic priority for Samsung," the company said. 
 
 Samsung is a late-comer to the market for connected cars. In December 2015, the company made its ambitions for the self-driving car sector known by announcing that it will create a business division to focus on auto systems and components for autonomous driving. 
 
 Samsung follows other tech companies rushing into the automotive space. 
 
 LG, one of Samsung's biggest competitors, already has aggressively entered the market, and that may have motivated Samsung to spend $8 billion to propel its entry into the sector, Abuelsamid said. LG, through its LG Chem battery unit, supplies batteries for General Motors electric cars, and through that relationship, LG sold a lot of other components to GM for the Chevrolet Bolt electric car, he said. 
 
 Google has already developed autonomous cars and has been testing them for several years. Google and Apple also are already working with global automakers to supply their auto systems, CarPlay and Android Auto, to integrate smartphones into automotive electronics. 
 
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 Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit. Lee can be reached on Twitter: www.twitter.com/YKLeeAP
– The big news from the Consumer Electronics Show—where the expected theme is "the connected car"—is a plan to make your new vehicle a little more like your smartphone. General Motors and Audi tell the Wall Street Journal they have plans to give their vehicles built-in 4G high-speed broadband, and the services sound pretty cool: GM says it'll offer weather and music apps, viewable on an in-dash screen, plus a Vehicle Health app for troubleshooting problems with the car itself. But that's only the beginning of what Google calls the Open Automotive Alliance: a teaming with automotive companies to bring Google's Android system to the road, Businessweek reports. Honda and Hyundai are also in on the deal, while Nvidia will make the chips for automotive displays. But you'll have to pay up for the services, expected later this year, and automakers are already being met with grumbling about distracted drivers. "To take mobile technology and give the driver distractions that don't even relate to driving is just not the right direction," a National Safety Council director said, adding, "I don't blame the automakers, but they are now in an arms race to be more connected." With those complaints in mind, automakers are working to integrate technology so as to be "glanceable." As an Nvidia rep says, "Holding a phone and interacting with a phone while driving is just not safe."