The Linux Foundation announced this morning that Toyota has signed on as a sponsor.  The Linux Foundation promotes the use of Linux.  So we can only assume that Toyota is going to start, if they aren’t already, using Linux in some of their cars.  

This could take “WiFi war driving” to a whole new level.  Imagine your car mapping open access points along your route to work.  Then creating a mesh like network so that you could keep running Pandora or last.fm through the car stereo without having to worry about the data caps on your cell provider.  Stuck in traffic no worries just fire up a browser on the console and surf to your favorite YouTube videos while you wait.  People laughing at a video from Comedy Central could really help with road rage.

Seriously though it makes good commercial sense as even the closed source operating systems like the one from Microsoft that powers Ford’s Sync need major modifications to meet the configuration needed in a car.  So starting with a free, open and stable operating system like Linux is a start on nearly equal standing.  I am not sure I would want a moded version of the kernel for my car like there are for Android Phones.  They could have the potential to get even better gas mileage or longer runs on the batteries for the Prius.

What do you think Toyota is going to do with Linux in their cars?  Let us know in the comments.