General Motors Co.’s controversial decision to ditch two popular phone projection systems from its future electric vehicles could be risky, but the company insists the move will pay off by giving consumers a more vehicle-embedded infotainment experience.
The Detroit automaker's plans to shift away from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto came as a surprise when it was announced in late March. Still, it’s also no secret that automakers want to reclaim territory ceded to tech companies for years and see their own infotainment systems integrated into new vehicles — in part to harvest data from their customers.
Nixing familiar systems in favor of its own, made in partnership with Google, puts GM in a similar bucket as Tesla Inc., which has never offered phone projection but leads electric vehicle sales. GM, however, might be taking a more challenging plunge by removing the systems from upcoming models like the Chevrolet Blazer EV after offering them on its current cars and trucks.
