Chevy Spark and Sonic Are First Cars to Get Siri 'Eyes Free'

AustinIllini · Feb 13, 2013

johncrab said:
Apparently GM has run out of names for their cheap cars. Spark and Sonic? Are they serious? Those are better than trying to sell the No-Va in Latin America but not by much.

Other great GM names that turned out to be mostly prophetic of failure:

No-Va GM spent millions advertising this in Latin America
Citation Plagued by bugs which probably saved many lives
Chevette plastic gears in the tranny sounded great as they ground to bits
Chevelle
Corsica (See Beretta)
Beretta (see Corsica)
Catera "Great European Styling" by a team clearly pissed off at GM
Aztek - a car so ugly that one warms to the toilet seat grille of the Edsel
LaCrosse (ask anyone in Quebec)
Fiero - plastic cars, known to catch fire.
6000SUX (just wanted to see who remembers the movie)
Impact (Johnny Carson said the next model would be called the 10 car collision)
Lumina
Cavalier
Corvair unsafe at any speed
Monza
Vega unsleeved aluminum engine, good for 20k, 40k if you added Motor Honey
Allante

And....(drum roll, please), the worst thing ever belched out of GM, The Cadillac Cimarron, a Chevy Cavalier with Caddy badging.

Yes, well how about Google these?

Chevrolet:
Camaro (latest generation)
Corvette
Cruze (latest generation)*
Malibu (latest generation)*
Equinox (latest generation)*
Traverse (latest generation)*

Cadillac:
ATS**
CTS
XTS

Buick:
Verano
Regal
Lacrosse***

*Beats equivalent Toyota in every category per US News
**Beats BMW 3 series in every category per US News
***Beats Lexus ES in every category per US News

Stop with the nonsense. American cars are on the rise (This doesn't even include Ford)

maxosx · Feb 13, 2013

GM (government motors) now officially built with our money despite the spin, have become even more questionable.

The con job "Electric Car" aka the "Volt" duped the unsuspecting & trusting public for the longest time.

Even during the "photo op" where the every slippery POTUS sat behind the wheel singing the praises of this game changing "Electric Car" the myth was perpetuated. Some might call it for what it was, an outright lie.

Then exposed by NBC, the truth was revealed. Under the hood was a GASOLINE ENGINE, that took over to assist the electric motor after the first eleven miles in the city. Or most immediately if attempting to accelerate up to freeway speeds.

The TRUTH? The VOLT is, and has always been... a hybrid.

AustinIllini · Feb 13, 2013

maxosx said:
The TRUTH? The VOLT is, and has always been... a hybrid done correctly

Fixed it for you. The volt is the only sensible electric car on the market, because i'm not totally hosed when the electricity runs out.

----------

maxosx said:
GM (government motors) now officially built with our money despite the spin, have become even more questionable.

Let's talk about other companies that take government money.

Sony
Sharp
Bank of America
JP Morgan Chase

Among others. So yeah, hold that against GM. They actually have shaped up since the bailout (which I was against).

Steve J0bs · Feb 13, 2013

No 2014 corvette support?

maxosx · Feb 13, 2013

AustinIllini said:
Fixed it for you. The volt is the only sensible electric car on the market, because i'm not totally hosed when the electricity runs out.

----------

Let's talk about other companies that take government money.

Sony
Sharp
Bank of America
JP Morgan Chase

Among others. So yeah, hold that against GM. They actually have shaped up since the bailout (which I was against).

I surprised you have so little knowledge of hybrids. Or that if not for the government coverup all Volts would be recalled due to battery pack fires. It's the most dangerous car ever made in recent times.

Protected by the government safety net to prevent scary events like "the "truth" being revealed, not to mention the dismal sales facts, it will maintain its status as one of the White Houses Favorites.

No worries the powers to be love the story line of America's fabulous Electric Car. You know, the one that relys on its gasoline engine to propel it the majority of the time. Unlike the very efficient hybrids made domestically by a variety of manufacturers.

A moniker "electric" the other auto manufacturers of hybrids are far too honest to foist off on the public.

DougFNJ · Feb 13, 2013

I'm looking forward to seeing how Honda does this rollout. I was really happy to see the car I bought 2 months ago is one of the few that will be getting it. Much better than the hands free system it uses now.

Funny thing about this American vs Foreign car debate is everyone so far has failed to mention out of all Auto makers that operate in the US, neither Toyota, Honda, or Nissan had to lay off any American workers. My 2013 Accord was made by more American hands then the "American" cars being discussed, and interestingly I will have far less problems and a much higher resale value.

Amazing the difference between Union shops vs non union shops....jus' sayin

Popeye206 · Feb 13, 2013

Steve J0bs said:
No 2014 corvette support?

You're driving it wrong. "Siri... call 9,1,1..."

AustinIllini · Feb 13, 2013

maxosx said:
I surprised you have so little knowledge of hybrids. Or that if not for the government coverup all Volts would be recalled due to battery pack fires. It's the most dangerous car ever made in recent times.

Spoken like a true conspiracy theorist. A hybrid is whatever you want it to be, it runs on two engines. If plugged in every night, the average commuter would use ZERO gallons of gas per day.

Protected by the government safety net to prevent scary events like "the "truth" being revealed, not to mention the dismal sales facts, it will maintain its status as one of the White Houses Favorites.

That is all nonsense. The quality was poor for about fifteen years, but GM is only second to Volkwagen now in sales.

No worries the powers to be love the story line of America's fabulous Electric Car. You know, the one that relys on its gasoline engine to propel it the majority of the time. Unlike the very efficient hybrids made domestically by a variety of manufacturers.

A moniker "electric" the other auto manufacturers of hybrids are far too honest to foist off on the public.

The gasoline engine makes the car practical. With the current charge rates, one could only go 60 miles before recharging, which, by the way, is not as quick as filling gas.

The current traditional hybrid situation is this: They're not "green", they get 40-50 mpg (gasoline engines are just now eclipsing 40 mpg), and they're either too expensive or they look horrible.

macsrcool1234 · Feb 13, 2013

Isn't Siri still in beta?

Rocketman · Feb 13, 2013

AustinIllini said:
Let's talk about other companies that take government money.

You can if you want but GM got $24B (expected loss), plus the asset the bondholders had was transferred to the union pensions ($24B). That's how FEDGOV "saved" GM. Yes they are making cars at a profit. Of course. Care to calculate a breakeven time?

Related:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/17/us-verizon-pension-idUSBRE89G1TC20121017

KiwiAdventure · Feb 13, 2013

What's the point Siri is hopeless in New Zealand. Google works great and can understand us Kiwis. We don't even have Siri Apple mapping which i understand is a joke.

Optheduim · Feb 13, 2013

So I'm buying a ford, because I love it. Americans are making better cars than before. I currently have an Audi. Hate hate hate the Audi! If ford announces this soon, I will wait... If not... I'm stuck with overly complicated Microsoft navi...

bearda · Feb 13, 2013

We just bought a 2013 Sonic two weeks ago to replace my wife's Toyota Yaris that was totaled, and even I think this is non-news. You can activate Siri on the Sonic now by pressing the bluetooth button on the steering wheel then holding it for a few seconds. This may make it a bit easier, but it's not earth-shattering.

What will be real news is if GM comes through and delivers the updates they've been promising for months. There have been press releases promising an update to the MyLink system since fall, and the dates keep getting pushed back. I'm still waiting for the BringGo map integration. Making Siri one button press easier kind of pales in comparison.

Larry-K · Feb 13, 2013

rmwebs said:
No not really. Apple are about as mainstream as it gets these days. The premium days are long, long gone.

They just charge premium prices these days.

Chupa Chupa · Feb 13, 2013

AustinIllini said:
Yes, well how about Google these?

Chevrolet:
Camaro (latest generation)
Corvette
Cruze (latest generation)*
Malibu (latest generation)*
Equinox (latest generation)*
Traverse (latest generation)*

Cadillac:
ATS**
CTS
XTS

Buick:
Verano
Regal
Lacrosse***

*Beats equivalent Toyota in every category per US News
**Beats BMW 3 series in every category per US News
***Beats Lexus ES in every category per US News

Stop with the nonsense. American cars are on the rise (This doesn't even include Ford)

Yes, sez that great car mag U.S. News. I always turn to it when pondering what car to buy. Oh wait, no I don't. No one else does either. American cars may be on the rise but only when on a lift at the garage.

Fatalbert · Feb 13, 2013

macsrcool1234 said:
Isn't Siri still in beta?

Hah, good point.

----------

Chupa Chupa said:
Yes, sez that great car mag U.S. News. I always turn to it when pondering what car to buy. Oh wait, no I don't. No one else does either. American cars may be on the rise but only when on a lift at the garage.

There ARE some good ones. The Chevrolet Suburban/Tahoe has got to be the best SUV. But for low-end sedans, Honda is the best by far.

----------

Optheduim said:
So I'm buying a ford, because I love it. Americans are making better cars than before. I currently have an Audi. Hate hate hate the Audi! If ford announces this soon, I will wait... If not... I'm stuck with overly complicated Microsoft navi...

I think the Ford will be worse. I like Mercedes and BMW better than Audi.

portishead · Feb 13, 2013

so.... can we get this feature on a car that doesn't suck?

----------

Optheduim said:
So I'm buying a ford, because I love it. Americans are making better cars than before. I currently have an Audi. Hate hate hate the Audi! If ford announces this soon, I will wait... If not... I'm stuck with overly complicated Microsoft navi...

You're crazy, Audi makes some of the best vehicles right now. What Audi do you have?

Ralf The Dog · Feb 13, 2013

I hope the new NSX gets it. My S-2000 is getting close to time for an upgrade.

Note: Electronic flash and glitter are not why I buy a car. When I am looking at cars, my top three concerns are performance. Electro glitter features are nice, however, they are not one of my reason for purchasing.

johncrab · Feb 13, 2013

AustinIllini said:
Yes, well how about Google these?

Chevrolet:
Camaro (latest generation)
Corvette
Cruze (latest generation)*
Malibu (latest generation)*
Equinox (latest generation)*
Traverse (latest generation)*

Cadillac:
ATS**
CTS
XTS

Buick:
Verano
Regal
Lacrosse***

*Beats equivalent Toyota in every category per US News
**Beats BMW 3 series in every category per US News
***Beats Lexus ES in every category per US News

Stop with the nonsense. American cars are on the rise (This doesn't even include Ford)

Stop the ********. GM has a long legacy of building pure crap and wrapping it in the flag. They have decades to go to prove they can build a car that will start and run reliably. I'm not impressed by a few well-cooked press releases over a couple of years after years of working on their ****. I've got the ******** scars to prove it, pal. You buy what you like and wave the flag if that's your thing but GM is only latching onto Apple for the cachet of the brand to cover up the miserable history they have created for themselves.

imola.zhp · Feb 13, 2013

My 2003 BMW 330i ZHP does this, it will be 10 years old on 03/03/2013...

That guy praising the ATS needs to drive both it and the 3er... The only way a reviewer can go on and on about how horrible the ATS's transmission is and then award it the winner is if GM is in their back pocket...

I don't let any publications of any kind sway my purchasing decisions. I look for real people (owners) reviews... Brand history is another thing to look at...

Muscle Master · Feb 13, 2013

imola.zhp said:
My 2003 BMW 330i ZHP does this, it will be 10 years old on 03/03/2013...

That guy praising the ATS needs to drive both it and the 3er... The only way a reviewer can go on and on about how horrible the ATS's transmission is and then award it the winner is if GM is in their back pocket...

I don't let any publications of any kind sway my purchasing decisions. I look for real people (owners) reviews... Brand history is another thing to look at...

That's bs to a degree.. I have driven both

The manual is ass, but the auto is damn near perfect. I have a question. how long have the 3 series been out. and how long has the ATS been out?

wait until GM iron out the kinks and release there 8 speed autos. BMW can't even make a reliable turbo engine

BMW better watch out

Renzatic · Feb 13, 2013

needfx said:
car fight!!

I'LL GET THE NOS!

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Popeye206 said:
You're driving it wrong. "Siri... call 9,1,1..."

"Sorry, I don't know what that means. If you like, I can search the web for "siri call nein juan won".

"SIRI! PLEASE! MY BLOOD! A BUNCH OF IT'S NOT INSIDE ME ANYMORE! HAAALLLPPP"!

noflipping · Feb 13, 2013

This doesn't seem like HUGE news. I use Siri with my Ford Fusion Hybrid everyday. The only thing you have to do is use the phone button to activate it. From that point on it uses the Sync mic for your input. In other words, if I want Sync to do something, I use the steering wheel button; if I want Siri, I use the phone's home button (it connects via Bluetooth or USB). The Sync mic is great BTW, works every time.

Best car I've ever had....

ConCat · Feb 13, 2013

Chupa Chupa said:
Yes, sez that great car mag U.S. News. I always turn to it when pondering what car to buy. Oh wait, no I don't. No one else does either. American cars may be on the rise but only when on a lift at the garage.

But but... Obama said he saved the auto industry... *Head explodes*

pianojoe · Feb 13, 2013

noflipping said:
This doesn't seem like HUGE news. I use Siri with my Ford Fusion Hybrid everyday. The only thing you have to do is use the phone button to activate it. From that point on it uses the Sync mic for your input. In other words, if I want Sync to do something, I use the steering wheel button; if I want Siri, I use the phone's home button (it connects via Bluetooth or USB). The Sync mic is great BTW, works every time.

Best car I've ever had....

So, the only new feature is the display not lighting up to 100% brightness, and integrating with the car's FM radio. Other than that, you can get a $15 BT handsfree, and you're done.

Different color schemes for Apple maps would be niceI'd like a night mode, and a bright sunlight bicycle mode.

BTW, I think Apple Maps is quite a nice piece of software. Rightthe map data is flakey. It took Google years of user contributions to get it right.

Chevy Spark and Sonic Are First Cars to Get Siri 'Eyes Free'

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