General Motors will remove Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its EVs in favour of Google’s in-car functionality.
This news comes as GM announce a major expansion into the Australian marketplace.
Christian Soemmer, managing director of GM strategic markets, alliances and distributors, said Australia will be the “cornerstone” of its international expansion push.
“We want to grow our international scale. Australia and New Zealand is an absolute key pillar of that region. We are always looking into more opportunities,” he said.
“We do want to grow in Australia and New Zealand and what does that mean? That means yes, we will have exciting announcements that will be coming up.”
The EV models GM are expected to launch in this market include the electric SUV Cadillac Lyriq, an electric Hummer, and a Silverado EV that GM will launch in mid-2024.
With GM’s new partnership with Google, these EVs will be fitted with Google Maps, and Google Assistant, as well as Spotify, Audible, and other services built into the car, as opposed to being accessed via a third-party app.
“We have a lot of new driver assistance features coming that are more tightly coupled with navigation,” explained Mkie Hichme, Executive Director of Digital Cockpit Experience at Google.
“We don’t want to design these features in a way that is not dependent on the person having a cellphone.“
