It has been nearly two years since GM revealed its choice to eliminate CarPlay from all its electric vehicles. The initial rollout was fraught with difficulties, particularly with the 2024 model year vehicles, such as the Chevy Blazer EV, which experienced notable issues tied to GM’s “Ultifi” infotainment system.
This week, in a fresh interview, Baris Cetinok, GM’s vice president of software, reiterated the company’s commitment to its decision to move away from CarPlay.
Cetinok holds the title of senior vice president for software and services, product management, program management, and design. He engaged in a conversation with Nilay Patel on The Verge’s Decoder podcast to elaborate on the company’s software strategy and platform.
As Patel highlighted, Cetinok joined GM in late 2023, after the automaker had already committed to the CarPlay exclusion. Before that, he spent nearly a decade at Apple, leading product management and marketing efforts for Apple Pay, Apple Wallet, Apple Card, and iCloud between 2012 and 2021.
While he wasn’t part of the original decision-making, Cetinok expressed understanding and support for the rationale behind GM’s choice to drop CarPlay:
There was a belief—a hypothesis—that we owe it to our customers to provide the most deeply integrated experience possible with their vehicles. We aren’t merely shipping devices with screens; we’re crafting beautifully designed, comprehensive solutions that resonate with our customers.
However, he also admitted that he wasn’t entirely convinced of this strategy initially:
I want the vehicle to be fully optimized for its intended purpose, rather than settling for a minimum standard. Truthfully, embracing this vision wasn’t straightforward when I joined. At first glance, it seemed a challenging and potentially unpopular choice, but I believe it’s the right one as we endeavor to create an end-to-end integrated product for our customers.
When questioned specifically about Apple’s approach to the next-generation CarPlay, Cetinok remarked:
I’ve explored virtually every competitor’s vehicle and am familiar with all the devices you likely have in your pocket to learn, test, and understand the landscape. We have already committed to the vision we want to implement, which includes building a deeply integrated experience that GM designs, develops, maintains, updates, and innovates for our customers. That is our clear direction.
Ultimately, despite some initial backlash and challenges, Cetinok expressed GM’s optimism that this strategy will enhance the customer experience “one day.”
We are indeed a competitive organization, but our conviction plays a significant role in this journey. We firmly believe that this route is what we need to take to provide truly immersive experiences for our customers. An easier path would be to avoid the hard work and ask why we should invest that effort.
However, we are convinced that such effort will culminate in a more satisfying customer experience. You will maximize your vehicle’s potential because we are the creators of the vehicle and the builders of the infotainment experience, the cluster experience, and the app. We aspire to enhance this with a voice assistant in the future. The only way to achieve that seamless integration is to maintain a steadfast belief in owning every aspect of it. Creating seamless experiences is inherently challenging, and it shouldn’t be an expectation to deal with disjointed elements when purchasing a vehicle costing anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000. It is our responsibility to ensure a coherent and beautiful experience.
For those interested, the complete interview is available on the Decoder podcast this week on The Verge.
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