Audi A8 car to stream Google Earth

The Audi luxury saloon in the Audi A8 will stream Google information services to the dashboard, the company said.

The A8 will be able to retrieve information from the net using an optional integrated GPRS/EDGE modem in the MMI navigation plus module.

Drivers will be able to search online using free text search queries such as “hot dog” or “hotel”, with the results displayed on the onboard map or used as destinations for calculating roots.

You will also be able to plan navigation destinations using the Audi web portal in the office or at home, and retrieve them when you’re driving your car.

In the middle of the year, Audi will release a UMTS modem that will give faster data transfer and integrate Google Earth in the eight inch LCD display.

Drivers insert a SIM card into the MMI Navigation plus module or can pair a mobile phone with the module using Bluetooth.

Audi will demo the features at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in early January.