GM ditching CarPlay & Android Auto for Google-built infotainment system

Posted:
in General Discussion edited March 2023
General Motors plans to gradually replace CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles, in favor of an in-house infotainment system developed with Google, leaning on subscription services.

GM snubs CarPlay
GM snubs CarPlay


As Apple prepares to launch the next generation of CarPlay it teased in 2022, some automobile manufacturers are taking a step back. For example, after being late to the game in integrating third-party systems, GM will no longer offer CarPlay and Android Auto in future electric vehicles, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer.

The automaker plans to keep CarPlay and Android Auto in its combustion vehicles. Owners of vehicles equipped with the mirroring technologies will still be able to use the systems.

But according to Reuters, the company has been working with Google to develop its own infotainment system. The move could help GM collect more data on how people drive and charge their electric vehicles.

GM has been working with Google since 2019 to create the software foundations for infotainment systems that will be more closely integrated with other car systems, such as GM's Super Cruise driving assistance system. The car company also plans to use its electric vehicles as platforms for digital subscription services.

In an interview, Edward Kummer, GM's chief digital officer, and Mike Himche, executive director of digital cockpit experience, explained that GM benefits from focusing engineers and investment on one approach to an infotainment system.

"We have a lot of new driver assistance features coming that are more tightly coupled with navigation," Himche said. "We don't want to design these features in a way that are dependent on a person having a cellphone."

It's not clear why Himche believes that the owner of an electric vehicle that retails for $40,000 and up won't have a cellphone of some sort.

Regardless, drivers will still be able to listen in their GM vehicles to music or make phone calls on iPhone or Android smartphones using Bluetooth.

People who buy a GM electric vehicle will get access to Google Maps and Google Assistant at no cost for eight years. The future GM system will also offer apps like Spotify, Audible, and other services.

"We do believe there are subscription revenue opportunities for us," Kummer said. By 2030, GM CEO Mary Barra hopes to generate $20 to $25 billion in revenue from yearly subscription fees.

The report stops short of directly quoting a GM executive saying that they were cutting out CarPlay in its entirety. AppleInsider has reached out to Apple and GM for comment on the report.

GM was not included amongst the list of next-generation CarPlay partners. That list includes Land Rover, Audi, Lincoln, Porsche, Nissan, Ford, Jaguar, Acura, Volvo, Honda, Polestar, and Infiniti.

Read on AppleInsider
tzterri
«1345678

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 152
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,292member
    Beyond being a shit brand to begin with in terms of reliability, this move will bite them in the ass HARDCORE... Just look at the backlash BMW faced when they tried making services like CarPlay, or worse, heated seats, a "subscription"!

    Those execs working at GM need to be put out onto the streets!
    DooofusmaltzCharlesBenjaminchasmlkruppGraeme000tzterriwaveparticlebonobobeightzero
  • Reply 2 of 152
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    Yet another “we want to profit from knowing what you do at all times” move. No thanks.
    Dooofusmagman1979maltzchasmGraeme000tzterriretrogustobonobobeightzerodocbburk
  • Reply 3 of 152
    General Motors has a long history of making bad decisions, and this is just one more example. 
    Dooofusmagman1979maltzchasmGraeme000tzterriJapheybonobobeightzeroiOS_Guy80
  • Reply 4 of 152
    emoelleremoeller Posts: 574member
    I and my family have owned Toyota vehicles for decades  (still drive a 2011 Prius and 2002 Tacoma PU), but I'll never purchase another one because of their long standing obstinance to include Apole CarPlay (they now offer it in most models).   This is a huge mistake for GM - but then again I have never purchased a GM car or truck.  I have a Tesla Cybertruck slot (expect delivery in early 2024) - but if Elon doesn't get on board with CarPlay I'll probably opt out.
    tzterriwilliamlondonjas99StrangeDaysbloggerblog
  • Reply 5 of 152
    Wow.  Dick move, GM.  Greed is still clearly alive and well at a certain GM HQ.  You want to make a new interface that's better, fine, do it.  Don't charge people for your closed ecosystem that we already know will be inferior.  Sorry, gotta go, someone calling me on my flip phone.  Assholes.
    magman1979ITGUYINSDwilliamhmaltzchasmlkruppGraeme000tzterridocbburkhcrefugee
  • Reply 6 of 152
    nrg2nrg2 Posts: 18member
    I can guess how this is going to go with a company that makes its money on advertisements. We have a vehicle made by GM or any others that thinks Google is a good idea and our dashboard, infotainment, and potential rear entertainment screens start popping up ads as we drive past different businesses. NO THANKS!
    tzterrimagman1979ravnorodomjas99
  • Reply 7 of 152
    I saw “Subscription Service” and immediately I want nothing to do with it.
    chasmlkrupptzterriJapheyiloveapplegearmagman1979eightzerodocbburkiOS_Guy80hcrefugee
  • Reply 8 of 152
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,120member
    I can understand not allowing next gen CarPlay to take over the full dash like some other brands are, but dropping CarPlay entirely as an option seems like a bad choice.
    Graeme000gregoriusmtzterribonobobeightzerodarkvaderrobin huberravnorodomWhiskeyAPPLEciderjahblade
  • Reply 9 of 152
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Wow.  Dick move, GM.  Greed is still clearly alive and well at a certain GM HQ.  You want to make a new interface that's better, fine, do it.  Don't charge people for your closed ecosystem that we already know will be inferior.  Sorry, gotta go, someone calling me on my flip phone.  Assholes.
    "Wow. dick move, GM." You should have stopped there. That said it all. Which reminds me, does anyone still subscribe to Sirius XM? iOS and Android phone users EXPECT their cars to work with their devices now.
    tzterrimagman1979docbburkilarynxkiehtanjas99jahblade
  • Reply 10 of 152
    2morrow2morrow Posts: 20member
    With EVs, Car companies have to opportunity to bring people to their brand that previously always buys from one or two brands. By only going with one company (Google or Apple) you are basically saying you are not going after the other. Years from now they will realize they made a mistake when other car companies offer both options and then it will be too late as many buyers will be locked into one or two EV brands. 
    tzterriCesar Battistini Mazierojas99StrangeDays
  • Reply 11 of 152
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,275member
    To quote clambot, not only is this a “dick move” by GM to spy on users AND charge them for the privilege, it’s an even bigger “dick move” by *Google,* who will of course also get all that user data.

    Imagine sabotaging your own product (Android Auto, which apparently nobody uses anyway) to help GM screw over its own customers. I’m no government lawyer and so I could be wrong, but this smells of anti-competitive abuse to me by Google. I hope both companies get dragged into court over this.

    Can’t wait to hear what the EU thinks of this … :wink: 

    In the meantime, ANY BRAND of automobile that follows this path will be off the list of brands to consider in my upcoming vehicle replacement. I hope that North American consumers in particular send a very clear, quick message to GM that this is a terrible idea and they will not stand for it.

    PS. I have no idea how many new cars GM sells in a year, and I’m sure it’s in the many millions, but … $20-25 BILLION a year from subscription fees?? This display of raw greed is disgusting given what cars cost these days.
    edited March 2023 tzterrimagman1979eightzerodocbburkneo-techfreerangejas99
  • Reply 12 of 152
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    Many years ago I was interested in a GM car. But they came with OnStar, a pay every month forever subscription service. When I told the salesman that I didn’t want it, and didn’t want a monthly fee he said that was just how they came. So I bought a Honda.

    Of course nowadays I wouldn’t touch GM with a ten foot pole.
    edited March 2023 tzterriwaveparticlemagman1979eightzerodarkvaderentropysravnorodomneo-techbloggerblog
  • Reply 13 of 152
    Hmph. Google GPS will probably take you to five other places before you get to where you want to go.
    tzterrimagman19799secondkox2
  • Reply 14 of 152
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    emoeller said:
    I and my family have owned Toyota vehicles for decades  (still drive a 2011 Prius and 2002 Tacoma PU), but I'll never purchase another one because of their long standing obstinance to include Apole CarPlay (they now offer it in most models).   This is a huge mistake for GM - but then again I have never purchased a GM car or truck.  I have a Tesla Cybertruck slot (expect delivery in early 2024) - but if Elon doesn't get on board with CarPlay I'll probably opt out.
    I have a 2005 Prius and may never buy another car because the bloody thing will never wear out, LOL
    tzterriiloveapplegearmagman1979ilarynxdarkvaderravnorodomjahbladetokyojimu
  • Reply 15 of 152
    tdknoxtdknox Posts: 82member
    lkrupp said:
    Wow.  Dick move, GM.  Greed is still clearly alive and well at a certain GM HQ.  You want to make a new interface that's better, fine, do it.  Don't charge people for your closed ecosystem that we already know will be inferior.  Sorry, gotta go, someone calling me on my flip phone.  Assholes.
    "Wow. dick move, GM." You should have stopped there. That said it all. Which reminds me, does anyone still subscribe to Sirius XM? iOS and Android phone users EXPECT their cars to work with their devices now.
    I still subscribe, because I haven’t been able to stay on the phone long enough to get it cancelled. 😄
    tzterrimagman1979tokyojimubloggerblog
  • Reply 16 of 152
    That's Volvo/Polestar, Nissan/Mitsubishi/Renault, GM, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/Acura, VW Group, and now Chevrolet that are all-in on Android Automotive, with several others using it as their base without the Google services.

    It's not shocking, it's all about money. Apple's Carplay integration requires the carmakers to still develop a local OS and GUI for those who don't have an iPhone, and presumably they have to pay Apple some licensing fees on top. Android Automotive *is* the operating system so no external reliance needs to be assumed, and presumably Google is both aiding in integration and probably covering part of the costs. In the end, automakers get a cohesive car OS that has top-notch navigation and all the apps people want, and Google does all the work for them.

    In a day when the software that runs the car is as important if not more so as the hardware, anything that makes the job easier and cheaper for carmakers is going to get their money. Apple dropped the ball here by focusing on making people need to buy more of their products instead of working with the automakers to give them what they need, and Google has been more than happy to pick it up and run it home.
    gatorguylarrya
  • Reply 17 of 152
    tzterritzterri Posts: 110member
    I guess I'm never buying another GM car.

    I actually refused to buy a Tesla because of this plus a long time ago walked out the Toyota dealership at the time as they weren't offering CarPlay
    magman1979eightzero9secondkox2chasmCesar Battistini Mazierodarkvaderentropysdope_ahmineStrangeDaysjahblade
  • Reply 18 of 152
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    lkrupp said:
    Wow.  Dick move, GM.  Greed is still clearly alive and well at a certain GM HQ.  You want to make a new interface that's better, fine, do it.  Don't charge people for your closed ecosystem that we already know will be inferior.  Sorry, gotta go, someone calling me on my flip phone.  Assholes.
    "Wow. dick move, GM." You should have stopped there. That said it all. Which reminds me, does anyone still subscribe to Sirius XM? iOS and Android phone users EXPECT their cars to work with their devices now.
    We subscribe for both cars. Still the best way to easily listen to music in a car.
    ravnorodombloggerblog
  • Reply 19 of 152
    cambercamber Posts: 20member
    I have driven a Buick since 2007 - one new, then a used one. I would love to have CarPlay in my vehicle. I absolutely abhor the subscription model. I dropped both OnStar and Serius XM radio because they used subscriptions. I will never subscribe to Apple Music because of the monthly payment. I know, you probably think I am an old curmudgeon. I am older but I do have the dollars to buy a new vehicle and GM just lost all chance of me buying a new Buick. I won't even comment on the gathering of personal data other that to say I will never permit it when I have a choice. Incredibly bad move GM!
    DAalsetheightzerohcrefugeeAnilu_777mystigo
  • Reply 20 of 152
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,087member
    This wins the award for The Dumbest Thing I’ve heard this month of March.   And there has been A LOT of really dumb things happening around me 

    I bet you a $1,000 this will be a disaster and they will reverse the decision with the next 5 years 
    magman1979igorskydanoxjas99WhiskeyAPPLEciderMARKSTARjahbladebloggerblog
Sign In or Register to comment.