GM Again Attempts to Explain Its Decision to Drop CarPlay in New EVs

[Tenkaykev]

American automaker General Motors (GM) last year announced it would be phasing out support for CarPlay and Android Auto in its new electric vehicles, in favor of its own software platform called Ultifi. The decision has been very controversial, as many drivers consider CarPlay to be a must-have feature in a new vehicle. In 2022, for example, Apple said 79% of U.S. buyers would only consider a vehicle that works with CarPlay.

To make matters worse, GM's rollout of Ultifi went rather poorly, with some early reviewers of the Chevrolet Blazer EV last year experiencing technical issues with the platform. Some of those problems have since been resolved, but it is clear that the automaker might not be as effective at developing software as a tech company like Apple.

In a statement shared with MacRumors last year, GM said its software strategy is "driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with the larger GM ecosystem and vehicles." In other words, the automaker wants to control the entire in-vehicle experience, which is both a reasonable and a risky decision.

In a recent interview with The Verge's Nilay Patel, GM's senior vice president of software Baris Cetinok further attempted to defend the automaker's decision to phase out CarPlay. Cetinok worked at Apple between 2012 and 2021, helping to spearhead the launch of Apple Pay, Find My, iCloud Drive, and more, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Cetinok joined GM months after it announced its decision to phase out CarPlay and Android Auto, but unsurprisingly he stands by the automaker's decision. He told Patel that GM believes with "strong conviction" that creating its entire in-vehicle experience provides "a better customer experience" with "end-to-end magic."

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV with GM's Ultifi software platform​

"But we have a strong conviction that effort pays off in a better customer experience," said Cetinok, speaking on the Decoder podcast. "You get the most out of your vehicle because now we're the company that builds the vehicle and is also creating the infotainment experience, the cluster experience, the app, and everything. We're going to build that one day and maybe a voice assistant on top of it. The only way you can create that end-to-end magic is to have a strong conviction that you want to own all of these."

He said GM wants to offer a seamless experience that does not require having to switch in and out of phone mirroring systems like CarPlay and Android Auto.

"When you want to create something so seamless, it's hard to think about getting into a car and going, 'Okay, so I'm doing highway trailering, but let me flip to a totally different user interface to pick my podcast,'" said Cetinok. "By the way, it's a single app-obsessed interface — it's still hard to believe. So I pick my podcast, flip back to trailering. Oh, now I can also do Super Cruise trailering. Let me manage that. Then, wait, we're now getting into potentially Level 3, Level 4 autonomy levels that should be deeply integrated with talking to the map where the lanes lie. But wait a minute, the map that I'm using doesn't really talk to my car."

The full transcript of the interview with more CarPlay commentary is available on The Verge.

Article Link: GM Again Attempts to Explain Its Decision to Drop CarPlay in New EVs

What a plonker...

 

[Mr. Heckles]

driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with the larger GM ecosystem and vehicles

Do they understand what an ecosystem is? Is not like I have a GM TV connected to my tv, and a GM smart speaker in my house.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

The bottom line is GM wants to get money for their own service and doesn’t like better competition. I hope people let GM know just how bad a decision this is.

If I had to guess, I’d wager that GM top brass has sold some major investors and / or board members on the bright path forward in which GM is capturing a massive revenue stream in subscriptions and sale of data, and this is all hinging on having a captive customer base via proprietary interface.

They are not dumb people and may now realize that the consumers will not be as receptive to that grand scheme as they hoped, but commitments and sales pitches have been made, and reversing the course that far down the road may be a career-killing move, especially when you look at the bigger picture (such as their oft-touted leadership in that huge EV market that largely failed to materialize).

 

[jjwwqq]

The only company I would trust to have a good software/touchscreen experience other than Apple would be Tesla.

 

[xeiteu]

Do they understand what an ecosystem is? Is not like I have a GM TV connected to my tv, and a GM smart speaker in my house.

Of course they do, they mean their ecosystem of cars and 'data partners' that will track you regardless of being a driver, passenger or pedestrian. All the more data for them to profit off of, yum. Dont be mistaken, they didnt say nor imply you as the buyer of the car are benefiting from greater integrations across this 'ecosystem'

 

[narenh]

Journalistic malpractice on the part of Macrumors (and maybe the Verge) for not even mentioning the reason is so car companies can collect and sell your data. CarPlay prevents this.

 

[acader]

It makes a lot of sense for GM to control their ecosystem. It could also result in an additional revenue stream (subscription). Automakers have so far been unable to release an annual revenue model...maybe this could pave the way for it.

The drawback is that their software team has to be top notch to ensure up-to-date connectivity on all aspects - maps, in-vehicle diagnostics. Finally, will 3rd party apps write a separate app just for GM (Spotify?)

Curious to see how this pans out.

 

[TonyC28]

On some level, he’s right. But what he gets wrong is thinking they will make a more intuitive interface than the one in people’s hands for every other minute of the day they aren’t driving, and that’s their iPhone. Apple already did the work for you. Work to add your car’s systems to CarPlay. It’s what vehicle owners want.

 

[frenchcamp49er]

In the market for a new truck, GM isn't one of them.

 

[jz0309]

Have you guys actually used Carplay? It's not very good. More often than not I end up on my phone anyways because Siri can't understand me when connected to my car.

If GM, Rivian, Tesla, whoever else can build a better system, be my guest.

My CarPlay, in both cars that support it actually works very well, does everything I want it to do

 

[Henry S]

BS..they want to control it so they can charge a subscription fee.

 

[frenchcamp49er]

Journalistic malpractice on the part of Macrumors (and maybe the Verge) for not even mentioning the reason is so car companies can collect and sell your data. CarPlay prevents this.

We already understand that.

 

[mrbrown]

A few thoughts here:

The Honda Prologue is a GM product using GM’s infotainment system and still manages to seamlessly offer CarPlay, with good integration.

GM wants to charge $50/month for their crappy infotainment system’s premium connectivity. Why do they think anybody would actually want to pay that? For comparison, Tesla, which has no CarPlay and has a far better infotainment experience, charges $99/year or $9.99/month for nearly all of the same stuff that GM offers.

Is their CEO just that disconnected from what customers want?

 

[frenchcamp49er]

BS..they want to control it so they can charge a subscription fee.

Yep, you want to be able to open your door, there's a fee, heat your seat, heat your steering wheel, alarm your car...... there's a fee.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

I do not want a car where to stream music, listen to podcasts, and get navigation I need to subscribe to a data plan for my vehicle. I also do not want to be limited to whatever applications have chosen to release to my carmakers store. I personally would not consider buying a vehicle that does not support carplay/android auto streamed from my phone. I will choose to avoid buying any vehicle from a company that plans to nickel and dime me for features that I can unlock.

 

[frenchcamp49er]

A few thoughts here:

The Honda Prologue is a GM product using GM’s infotainment system and still manages to seamlessly offer CarPlay, with good integration.

GM wants to charge $50/month for their crappy infotainment system’s premium connectivity. Why do they think anybody would actually want to pay that? For comparison, Tesla, which has no CarPlay and has a far better infotainment experience, charges $99/year or $9.99/month for nearly all of the same stuff that GM offers.

Is their CEO just that disconnected from what customers want?

Thats insane, no way in hell I would pay $50 a month

 

[indychris]

Like so many others, No CarPlay = Non-Starter for me. EV will never work for my needs anyway, but assuming this is the trajectory they are taking with the rest of their fleet in the future, good luck with that. I will never own another.

 

[nerdAFK]

…what? Apple has gotten very good at vertical integration over 40ish years, and is still the only large company to have done so. GM has not and will not.

GM sucks for sure. But carplay is overrated by so many.

Go test drive a Tesla, play with Tesla's actually vertically integrated infotainment system.

 

[Alameda]

American automaker General Motors (GM) last year announced it would be phasing out support for CarPlay and Android Auto in its new electric vehicles, in favor of its own software platform called Ultifi. The decision has been very controversial, as many drivers consider CarPlay to be a must-have feature in a new vehicle. In 2022, for example, Apple said 79% of U.S. buyers would only consider a vehicle that works with CarPlay.

To make matters worse, GM's rollout of Ultifi went rather poorly, with some early reviewers of the Chevrolet Blazer EV last year experiencing technical issues with the platform. Some of those problems have since been resolved, but it is clear that the automaker might not be as effective at developing software as a tech company like Apple.


Article Link: GM Again Attempts to Explain Its Decision to Drop CarPlay in New EVs

GM sabotaging their electric cars? Who’d have thought? You can always count on GM to figure out the best way to make a really lousy car. And Tesla was a zero dollar company that showed up out of nowhere and built far better EV’s than the Big Three.

It’s just simple: Even if GM managed to make navigation and other software that’s as good as Apple and Android, by the time the car gets to market, it will be outdated, and after 3 to 5 years of car ownership, it will be badly outdated.

I’m with the 79% of car owners who will not buy a car that doesn’t support CarPlay. I’ve found the decision-making mindset of American carmakers to be absolutely, consistently awful. Poor quality, rattly, ugly designs… I’ve never seen any company work harder at failing.

 

[Alameda]

Like so many others, No CarPlay = Non-Starter for me. EV will never work for my needs anyway, but assuming this is the trajectory they are taking with the rest of their fleet in the future, good luck with that. I will never own another.

Never say never. You’re probably making incorrect assumptions about the progress of technology.

 

[zghalliwell]

Recently got a Chevy Equinox EV 2024 with their new built-in system and can confirm it is NOT a better user experience. Google Assistant only works half of the time, it loses connection often. Trying to navigate anything on your phone when connected to bluetooth is horribly unintuitive and just an awful user experience. Google assistant randomly uses several different voices and it's never clear why. It's just a horrible experience all around.

 

[laucutus]

Yeah....I would have left Android Auto/CarPlay support in place until I felt that my "Ultifi" solution was as good if not better before yanking out what everyone expects a car to have in 2024...Because I tell you what, there is NOTHING more reassuring than when I arrive in a new city for a business trip and I get in my rental car that has wireless CarPlay and my interface pops up on the screen. I'm usually sitting there looking at a sh*t show of buttons and trying to figure out how to get everything to work...

Good point!
at first I thought "whatever, GM 🙄" but now I'll have to make sure my rental car is not a GM 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[Realityck]

Who wants to have a subscription for maps when they are free and current with Apple Maps and Google maps?

Automotive manufacturers need to cater to consumers not pretend their inferior content/map services are just as attractive. Can’t fool consumers.

 

[Siliconguy]

Personally I agree - I wouldn't choose a car that didn't support Apple CarPlay / Android Auto.

After all, its not something you are compelled to use I don't know why GM couldn't have it there in the background.

I rarely use the maps anyway. At the moment the iPod nano still works in the current vehicle. When that stops I'll have to get something else. If the new vehicle doesn't have an aux in jack I'll have to go back to the old FM transmitter.

 

[Adam5SS]

If your stupidly named system was sooooooo much better we’d chose to use it of our own free will. You clearly can have multiple options on the car and people can chose to use what they think is the better setup, service, or system. All you’re doing is eliminating any competition because your system is clearly so trashy you’re afraid no one will like it better than the competition so you’ll need to force them into something. Good luck selling cars without something that people want!