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American automotive powerhouse, General Motors have recently announced that they are planning to alter their vehicle infotainment systems in future electric vehicles.
The manufacturer that has subsidiaries including Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet are planning to move away from systems such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. These systems are currently found in almost all modern cars and allow users to mirror their smartphone on their cars display. GM is planning on replacing these systems with built-in infotainment systems in their upcoming electric cars. They have stated that combustion engine vehicles will still have Apple mirroring systems in place.
GM has been developing more advanced inbuilt infotainment systems with Google since 2019. So it seems like EV car owners will have even more exposure to Google products in their vehicles moving forward. It is said that the reason for this change is due to the company’s desire to have more integrated systems. GM is claiming that they want their infotainment to be better connected with other systems such as the Super Cruise driver assistant.
While this may be part of the reason, we doubt this is the only reason. So what are GM’s other motives for pushing this initiative?
General Motors Want To Gather More Data
Data collection is a huge thing for companies in today’s world and car brands are not immune from the benefits of consumer information. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that GM’s decision to phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are strategic rather than user need based.
An area of contention for carmakers is that data collected through the use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is not shared with them. This leaves them in the dark about consumer activity. But, by forcing drivers to use a built-in infotainment system, car manufacturers can gain insight into users’ driving, entertainment and charging habits.
GM has argued that having more information on user habits will benefit the driver. The company claims it will enable them to provide a better driving experience for car owners, particularly when it comes to navigation and charging. This does, however, seem like a weak excuse considering that some car brands are already achieving this with the use of mirroring infotainment systems. Makes such as Volvo and Polestar are currently excelling in this space.
Another justification for this change came out through GM’s communications boss. Kummer emailed tech site, The Verge, stating that “the vehicle can know more than the phone does”. This could be a fact, but there is little reason that a car’s native system can’t work hand in hand with mirroring systems.
GM Plan To Turn Features Into A Subscription Model
The removal of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support comes as GM pushes ahead with a strategy to make its EV’s a platform for digital subscription services. Again, this feels like a financial lead decision, not something based on user needs. Kummer backed up this theory when he said “we do believe there are subscription revenue opportunities for us,”. The Chief Executive of GM also has high hopes for the model. GM is aiming for between $20 billion to $25 billion in annual revenue from subscriptions by 2030.
This will undoubtedly put potential buyers off new GM EV’s. It seems as though the manufacturer is aware of this and is trying to prevent negative feedback. GM has said that all buyers of EVs with the new systems will get access to it at no extra cost for eight years. This includes access to Google Maps and Google Assistant, a voice command system. According to GM, the future of their systems will also include services such as Spotify and Audible. This all feels very similar to what users of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto already have access to for free.
General Motors Want To Focus Engineers And Investment
In perhaps the only user centered reason for this change, GM has big plans for their future EV’s and are hoping to introduce lots of new features. These new features will first be seen in the upcoming 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV. There is an argument that the American manufacturer would benefit from focusing their engineers and investment on a more unified approach.
Speaking on plans for the future, Kummer stated that “we have a lot of new driver assistance features coming that are more tightly coupled with navigation,”. He followed on from this by arguing that “we don’t want to design these features in a way that are dependent on [a] person having a cellphone.”.
Some of the features customers can look forward to seeing from GM include a more integrated in-vehicle infotainment system, navigation features and assisted driving features.
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