I suggest you research Android Automotive and what exactly it is, as it's not an "Android phone". As for half of Americans not wanting to use Android, because it's Android, I find that statement amusing as you would rather force their customers to continue using their maligned Ford Sync system then a superior solution with an actual ecosystem.
Yes, it's not an Android phone. It's an Android tablet hardwired into my vehicle's bus so it can hoover up data directly from the vehicle and has to be on when the vehicle is. It still runs Google Maps (and reports my location to Google) has the Google Play Store (so any apps would also feed data and money to Google) and still permanently runs the microphone's input through Google's algorithms 24/7 for the Google Voice Assistant.
I don't see what meaningful way it differs.
Is it even going to get updates for a longer period than Android phones? Maybe against security threats. Or it's just been 3 years, upgrade your car.
I suppose it doesn't make phonecalls, that's a difference.
And yes, what I want is a bluetooth speaker that has a radio. My point is I don't want an ecosystem for my car. Saying "Ford Sync system then a superior solution with an actual ecosystem" as an argument to upgrade gets everything backwards.
No, it's not an Android tablet, just like it's not an "Android phone" as you previously purported. I suggest you research Volvo's implementation of Android Automotive to get a better understanding of what it is rather than trying to equate it to an old version of Android you used on a phone or tablet.
How about you tell me where I am wrong or how they are different . Because I read your wikipedia link and it just seemed to reinforce that it's extremely Googley with Play Store, Voice Assistant and GPS built in to Fords and Volvos. And I found no meaningful differences I didn't already cover. Nor did I on Volvo's page[1]
I'm not going to watch like an hour of youtube videos. I tried scrubbing and didn't see any great UI, although if you want to show me some screenshots I'll look. But it also doesn't matter. I wasn't saying "the UI/UX is bad". I was saying "I don't want any touchscreen UX in my car". I also said "they are uploading my position, speed, car data and microphone data inside the car to Google, as well as letting them control the App Store to my car and thus impose things on all the apps I would want." Although Google may in fact process the audio locally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Automotive