Given today’s April Fool’s antics, we wish to say this is not a joke. General Motors is planning to drop CarPlay and Android Auto from new electric vehicles going forward, according to ARS Technica.
This applies only to new electric vehicles starting this year. GM gas powered and current EVs keep CarPlay and Android Auto thus far.
GM is teaming with Google instead to offer maps, Google Assistant, Audible, Spotify and other apps directly in the car infotainment system, said reports.
The new GM vehicles to ship without CarPlay and Android Auto start with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV (which releases later this year). Also the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV, the 2024 Cadillac Celestiq and the 2025 GMC Sierra EV will ship minus CarPlay and Android Auto.
GM is looking to capture its own data on drivers, such as location and EV charging information, speculated Yahoo! Finance.
Also, the move comes at a time when Apple seeks to integrate CarPlay deeper into more screens and functions in vehicles such as gauge clusters.
The risk is that GM will lose some car buyers who have come to love CarPlay or Android Auto. A study found that 48 percent of car buyers want CarPlay or Android Auto on their next vehicle (AutoPacific 2019 Future Attribute Demand Study).
Source: ARS Technica, Yahoo Finance
