The Linux foundation just announced that Meego will be the next platform to be used for In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) by the GENIVI Alliance. To name a few, this major automotive alliance consists of members like BMW, GM, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Peugeot, and more. No timetable was announced, but they mentioned the reference design builds upon the Meego handset platform which isn’t expected until October this year.

Meego is a Linux based platform that will support a vast range of devices including netbooks, tablets, phones, and more. It was created last February by Intel and Nokia with the merge of their Moblin and Maemo platforms. The first Meego-powered Nokia device is expected later this year.

“We selected MeeGo as the open source basis for our platform because it is technically innovative and can provide the cross architecture build support we require for our references,” said Graham Smethurst, President of GENIVI. “Working with MeeGo we expect to establish a solution that effectively merges IVI needs with those of the other MeeGo target device categories.”

The announcement shows a lot of potential and I’m anxious to see how it will be implemented. An example I can imagine is planning a trip on your computer or phone, then syncing with your car IVI for drive navigation. Once you find a parking spot around your destination, you can use the phone to navigate you the rest of the way.