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Future General Motors EVs won’t feature stand-alone Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone connectivity as the automaker switches to a Google-based infotainment system.
EVs and internal combustion vehicles currently on sale will retain Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the new EV models will drop those features in favor of a new infotainment system that “will be an evolution” of Google’s built-in systems already available on some GM models, such as the GMC Hummer. EV, the automaker announced last week.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have proven popular as they project a familiar smartphone interface onto a car’s infotainment system, allowing drivers to escape the eccentricities of the original system. But GM claims Google’s built-in system will provide a more streamlined experience.
WWe believe a simple, seamless and integrated experience that integrates basic infotainment features with key vehicle systems is the best way forward,” GM spokeswoman Anna Yu told Motor Authority.”Requiring our customers to navigate in and out of different solutions and back and forth for different needs is never smooth sailing.”
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Some of the same Android features, such as Google Maps and Google Assistant voice recognition, will carry over to the new infotainment system “at no additional cost” for the first eight years of ownership, according to GM. Spotify will also be available natively, while other third-party apps will be available through the Google Play Store, GM confirmed. Bluetooth and Siri support will also continue, but GM would not comment on future availability of Apple Music.
The first vehicle to be affected by the change in strategy is the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, which is scheduled to go on sale in the US this summer. The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, 2024 Cadillac Celestiq, and 2025 GMC Sierra EV will also launch without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Cadillac Celestiq 2024
Other EVs will retain Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for at least the 2024 model year. That includes the 2024 Hummer EV GMC SUV and Pickup, the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, the 2024 Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, and the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, which is slated to go on sale this fall.
The decision also doesn’t apply to internal combustion vehicles, but GM has indicated it will phase out most of them in the coming years. The automaker announced in 2021 its “aspiration” to make all of its light vehicles electric by 2035, and it hopes to make its Buick and Cadillac brands electric by the end of the decade.
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