Who Owns the Dashboard? Apple and Google Should.

[Commentary] Silicon Valley is forcing its way onto Detroit’s (MI) turf by building, or planning to build, cars. And that means there could be some big clashes, or at least some tense partnerships, in coming years.

On one side stand Apple and Google, each of which has developed a system that, when you plug in your smartphone, takes over a car’s navigation, communication and audio systems with modified versions of the key apps on the phone. On the other side stand the automakers, slowly and reluctantly introducing these systems — called Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — but drawing a line on how far they can go. I’ve used various infotainment systems on several cars, including a couple of times as a regular car shopper at plain old dealerships, rather than in company demos. And my vote goes squarely to Apple and Google on this one.