A new study has revealed that many car buyers would think twice before purchasing a new vehicle that did not have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This is bad news for carmakers like General Motors, which is dropping Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in favor of its in-house infotainment center.
A recent study by McKinsey & Co study reveals that a good third of global car buyers say that no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in a vehicle is a deal breaker. 30% of Electric Vehicle buyers and 35% of internal combustion vehicle customers say the lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto means they won’t buy the vehicle.
Ward Intelligence says that as of mid-2023 over 90% of new vehicles had Apple CarPlay or Android Auto capabilities as an option.
General Motors and other carmakers are looking to replace Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with their own smartphone mirroring systems. If the carmaker has full control of the infotainment center, they can charge owners for apps and new features, some car buyers would be okay with that happening. 30% of Electric Vehicle buyers would pay extra for smartphone integration, while 17% of buyers of gas-powered vehicles would be willing to pay for it.
When asked what they would do if Apple CarPlay or Android Auto was disabled in their current vehicles. 35% of respondents said they would use the vehicle maker’s infotainment system, while 52% said they would use their smartphone. 14% said they would simply go elsewhere to buy a vehicle.
Tesla and Rivian are arguably the two most well-known Western vehicle manufacturers that do not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in their vehicles. General Motors is dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from their new vehicles.
GM’s in-house infotainment system will allow it to offer “subscriptions” to services and features. Something they cannot do when the vehicle has CarPlay or Android Auto in place.
GM’s rollout of its new system has not gone all that well, as dealerships have struggled to fix vehicles when owners return their vehicles with complaints of software issues.