Future electric vehicles from General Motors will feature in-built infotainment systems co-developed with Google (GOOG), replacing the currently popular Apple (AAPL) CarPlay and Android Auto technologies that enable drivers to bypass a vehicle’s infotainment system.
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Mirroring the smartphone’s display on the car’s interface is possible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.👇
In order to better understand how customers use and charge their electric vehicles, General Motors has decided to cease offering these features beginning with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer.👇
General Motors is working with Alphabet’s Google to develop in-car guidance and entertainment systems for future electric vehicles.
Apple has lost ground to Google in the race for dashboard space in North American vehicles with the move to discontinue support for the CarPlay smartphone projection system. Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, once claimed that it had the most vehicles in its lineup that were compatible with Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto.
Since 2019, Google and GM have collaborated to build the software backbone of next-generation infotainment systems that will be better integrated with other vehicle systems like GM’s Super Cruise driving assistant. The company is speeding up a plan to turn its electric vehicles (EVs) into platforms for digital subscription services.
General Motors plans to stop making new combustion light-duty cars by 2035.
Edward Kummer, GM’s chief digital officer, and Mike Hichme, the company’s executive director of digital cockpit experience, said in an interview that the company would benefit from focusing engineers and investment on a single approach to more tightly connecting in-vehicle infotainment and navigation with features like assisted driving.
New driver assistance functions will be “more tightly coupled with navigation,” Hichme told Reuters. We don’t want to make these capabilities contingent on the user possessing a mobile phone.
GM announced that, for the next eight years, buyers of electric vehicles equipped with the new systems will have free access to Google Maps and Google Assistant, a vocal command system. GM claims that their future infotainment systems will be compatible with popular smartphone apps like Spotify’s audio streaming service, Audible, and others.
Kummer affirmed that the company sees potential in monetizing subscriptions. By the year 2030, General Motors CEO Mary Barra expects subscriptions to generate $20 billion to $25 billion in annual income.
Mirroring devices for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will remain an option for purchase in all future combustion models from GM. GM has assured customers that their mirroring technologies will continue to function normally in their cars.
GM also assured drivers that they could use their iPhones and Androids via Bluetooth to listen to audio and make phone calls while on the road.
