GM’s CarPlay Compromise: Gas Gets It, EVs Get Ghosted

CarPlay may be sticking around in GM’s gas pickups, but the company hasn’t changed its mind about eliminating it from its electric vehicles.

To be clear, we weren’t exactly holding our breath on that one. While GM’s executive director of connected apps and services, Michael Wahlstrom, told Bloomberg last week that the automaker had “worked with both Apple and Google to develop a new split screen” that would accommodate CarPlay and Android Auto next to GM’s own native experience, he offered no comment on whether GM would be bringing CarPlay back into its electric vehicles.

In that context, the executive’s unwillingness to comment usually means it’s not likely to happen, but in case there was any doubt, Joanna Stern weighed in earlier this week to confirm that nothing is changing for GM’s EVs.

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CarPlay is already gone in those models, and it’s not coming back anytime soon. By contrast, GM never actually took CarPlay away from its gas-powered vehicles; its CEO merely suggested last year that this was on the road map.

Usually, a statement like that from a company’s chief executive can be taken to the bank, but as The Verge points out, the automaker seemed to hedge on that a few days later, undoubtedly in response to negative feedback, with company spokesperson Malorie Lucich telling MacRumors it would “remain available in all GM gas-powered vehicles for the foreseeable future.”

Of course, neither Barra nor Lucich had ever committed to a timeline, and while the CEO’s comments could be construed as suggesting it was coming sooner, Lucich said it would be “over time, not overnight.”

So, where does that leave GM fans? The answer may still be a bit murky. Although Wahlstrom’s comments to Bloomberg’s David Welch last week strongly suggest that GM has abandoned its plans to ditch CarPlay, it’s hard to take anything at face value from a company that’s been waffling more than a Belgian breakfast cafe.

After all, Wahlstrom’s “going forward” and Lucich’s “for the foreseeable future” aren’t inherently contradictory statements. Still, there’s one glimmer of hope here that suggests that GM may have found a middle ground that will keep everyone happy.

The Verge’s Andrew J. Hawkins spoke with yet another GM representative, Colin McCormick. He’s the group product manager for Google built-in, projection, and profiles, and he indicated that the new split-screen experience allows GM to ensure its own in-car system remains fully present while letting drivers access CarPlay or Android Auto.

The long and short of it is that GM probably is undoubtedly doing a bit of backpedaling here, but it’s doing it in a way that still leaves it in control of the narrative. It’s not likely going to bring CarPlay or Android Auto back to EVs anytime soon — if ever — as that ship has already sailed. However, it’s seemingly decided that it’s not worth losing customers of its gas-powered vehicles over something that it can realistically compromise on.