Q&A with GM SVP Baris Cetinok on having a “high conviction” that ditching CarPlay and Android Auto is the right call, building autonomous cars, and more
GM's Baris Cetinok is committed to building a custom experience to rival that of Apple and Google.
Context & Ripple Effects
GM’s position extends its earlier plan to remove smartphone projection from future EVs in favor of Google-based infotainment, data collection, and potential subscriptions GM’s earlier move toward a Google-based in-car platform. A subsequent assessment framed the strategy as a risky attempt to reclaim the dashboard from Apple’s ecosystem GM’s bet on proprietary infotainment.
The significance is less the interview itself than the public hardening of GM’s commitment: the company is treating the in-car interface as a product layer it must own, rather than a feature delegated to drivers’ phones.
First-order effects
- GM’s software organization must deliver an in-car experience capable of handling functions drivers commonly expect from CarPlay and Android Auto, raising the execution stakes for its proprietary interface.
- Buyers of affected GM vehicles face a more manufacturer-controlled dashboard experience, with less ability to default to Apple’s or Google’s phone interface.
Second-order effects
- Apple and Google lose a straightforward route to the GM dashboard, while GM gains more control over in-car data, service design, and any subscription features tied to its own platform.
- The decision makes GM’s user experience a more visible purchase consideration, increasing pressure on the automaker to match the familiarity and app ecosystems drivers get from smartphone projection.
Third-order effects
- If other automakers follow, the car cockpit could become a contested software and services layer rather than an extension of the smartphone duopoly—a tension already identified in coverage of automakers ceding operating-system control to Apple and Google the fight over who controls automotive operating systems.
- The model remains contingent on proprietary systems being competitive enough to retain drivers; failure would strengthen the case for open phone-projection standards, while success would support more automaker-owned software stacks.
The trend: Automakers are increasingly trying to turn the dashboard into an owned software, data, and services platform rather than a handset-controlled display.