Once driving becomes automated, drivers want to do something.  All that idle time behind the wheel creates an enormous window for consumption of content, including ads. As cars head towards becoming cellphones-on-wheels, it's natural that a mobile telecom behemoth wants to shape the future of that market.

Verizon's acquisition of Yahoo provides content that can ride on top of Verizon's nation-wide mobile network while creating a new competitor for Google.  Sure, Verizon and Yahoo aren't cool, but Verizon steps to the table with many strengths, including long-standing lobbying muscle to guide policy evolution to it's own ends.  In the heavily regulated automotive and telecommunications sectors, that counts for a lot.