Getting Apple CarPlay And Android Auto NOW: What Existing VWs Want and Where Does It End? The Technicolor Case
Existing Cadillac, Chevy,GMC, and Buick owners will not have to worry about losing their systems, even though its new software is powered by Google. This clearly runs counter to what buyers want, industry experts told me this week.
“Talk to anyone that’s been in a vehicle with this feature and they’re often instantly sold on having to have it,” DeGraff said. “I hear constant chatter about it, and to give you even more proof of how desirable Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are, consumers with older vehicles are now upgrading their factory (DIN) head units with aftermarket replacement touchscreens that offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.” How many people can even name the other infotainment systems on the market?
The Volvo reply was based on a 10 months ago post from CEO Jim Rowan, who replied to an announcement that future versions of the technology would be more integrated into the vehicle.
Honda, which is also adopting Google’s built-in software integration for the next Accord, said it has no plans to do so at the expense of CarPlay and Android Auto.
Hyundai, which also owns a stake in Kia, said it has “no plans to stop offering AppleCar Play and Android Auto on its vehicles, including EVs,” said spokesperson Miles Johnson.
The Cadillac User Experience (CUE) Challenge: Why GM is pursuing a Unified Software Architecture for Autonomous Vehicles and Other High-Tech Brands?
In 2011, amid one of the Cadillac brand’s many reboots, General Motors introduced the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) to its then-latest generation of luxury sedans and SUVs. CUE was a touchscreen infotainment suite, smartphone integration system, and a capacitive touch panel on the dashboard that used haptic feedback in place of physical buttons.
DeGraff said that in the recent trend study, requests for more USB-C outlets in cars were the top reason why people were interested in the smartphone systems.
Many reasons are behind the move, and they are all symbolic of the headaches that will be caused by car companies trying to transform into tech companies.
Ultifi is essentially your smartphone’s OS but in car form. It will be used in GM’s next-gen EV lineup as well as its ICE vehicles, but it’s arguably more important for the former. Ultifi will allow for over-the-air updates, more advanced automated driving assistance, connected car capabilities, and native versions of popular apps to be available, with EV being software-driven batteries on wheels. Data collection and subscription-only features are things that will be enabled by it. More on this later.)
Many car companies are working in the same direction. Look at Volkswagen, which has had plenty of challenges too on the software front but is pushing forward with a unified software architecture for all of its brands that will include a native app store. It is understandable why GM and other companies do not want to cede the user experience for their cars to third-party tech companies.
Some of these decisions seem to be related to maps and plans for automated driving. Edmunds posited that a native navigation system may work better with Super Cruise or its more advanced lidar-powered upcoming sibling, Ultra Cruise. GM does not want to design features that will leave out people who don’t own a cellphone, says Mike Hichme, the executive director of digital cockpit experience.
Then again, the average new EV costs around $65,000; who’s buying such an expensive, high-tech vehicle and doesn’t own a smartphone? I’d love to talk to that person if they exist. Send me an email if you are that person. Or send The Verge’s New York office a fax, in your case. I’ll swing by and pick it up when I have time.)
“From a business perspective, having more control over what happens within your vehicles is extremely valuable for both vehicle development as well as the opportunities presented by capturing and repackaging data for analysis and marketing,” Ivan Drury, Edmunds’ director of insights, told The Verge.
He noted that GM is going against what is arguably one of the most culturally relevant and influential consumer brands in history, specifically the brand that most would credit with creating the touchscreen obsession that automakers are currently leaning into.
Now, customer preferences are what they are. As each year went on, the experiences from systems like CUE became outclassed by the smartphone experience and eventually added up to years of dealing with them.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/4/23669523/gm-apple-carplay-android-auto-ev-restrict-access
How Well Will The General Motor Company Solve the Correlation Problem? Drury argues that GM isn’t going to change its decision
Drury said he feels it’s unlikely GM will change its mind on this decision, despite the backlash, but he warned that whatever the company has up its sleeve had better be world-class — not another CUE.
“While GM is unlikely to fully reverse course, one would expect their replacement app to be up to snuff and that any initial reactions of dismay from Apple owners are signs of minor annoyance rather than an outright refusal to purchase vehicles from The General,” Drury said, using a nickname for GM.