With Google Assistant drivers can use their time on the road with just their voice. Distracted driving enabler? Another invasion of your privacy and personal data?
General Motors said today it plans to introduce new in-vehicle technology that will enhance the overall customer experience and make it easier for customers to bring their digital lives into future connected vehicles. It will do this by the integration of Google’s Voice Assistant, Navigation and App Ecosystem in GM Infotainment Systems in 2021. Whether this adds to the distracted driving problem remains to be seen.
GM said its research shows that many customers prefer an embedded technology in the vehicle, and increasingly expect seamless integration between the tech in their hands and the tech in their vehicle. GM will work with Google to bring new options for a voice assistant, embedded navigation and in-vehicle applications to compatible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles in regions around the world beginning in 2021. Broad deployment across all GM vehicle brands is expected to roll out in the years following.
“We will continue to offer our own unique infotainment features that only GM can deliver, such as service recommendations, vehicle health status, in-vehicle commerce and more, with the Google applications and services complementing our offerings,” claimed Santiago Chamorro, vice president for Global Connected Customer Experience, GM.
Future GM infotainment systems will continue to be powered by Android, which enables GM to bring familiar and enhanced experiences from Google to the vehicle:
Voice Assistant: With the built-in Google Assistant, drivers can make the most of their time in the vehicle and easily get things done hands-free using just their voice. Drivers can use the Assistant to make calls or text a friend, play a favorite radio station or podcast, close the garage door (requires compatible smart home devices) or even change the temperature in the vehicle, all while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. The Assistant integration will continue to evolve over time, so that drivers in the future will be able to simply use their voice to engage with their vehicle, which could include renewing their OnStar or Connected Services plans, checking on their tire pressure, scheduling service and more.
Embedded Navigation: Google Maps2 in the vehicle is constantly up-to-date and helps drivers navigate with real-time traffic information, automatic re-routing and lane guidance. With the Assistant, drivers can use voice to navigate home, share their ETA, find the nearest gas station and EV charging stations (based on availability) or ask about a store’s hours without needing a phone.
In-Vehicle Applications: The Google Play Store lets drivers find their favorite apps and services designed specifically for in-vehicle use. Drivers can listen to the same albums, podcasts and audiobooks in the vehicle as at home and stay connected with their most important contacts on communication apps.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Google Voice Assistant, Navigation and App to Debut at GM
With Google Assistant drivers can use their time on the road with just their voice. Distracted driving enabler? Another invasion of your privacy and personal data?
General Motors said today it plans to introduce new in-vehicle technology that will enhance the overall customer experience and make it easier for customers to bring their digital lives into future connected vehicles. It will do this by the integration of Google’s Voice Assistant, Navigation and App Ecosystem in GM Infotainment Systems in 2021. Whether this adds to the distracted driving problem remains to be seen.
GM said its research shows that many customers prefer an embedded technology in the vehicle, and increasingly expect seamless integration between the tech in their hands and the tech in their vehicle. GM will work with Google to bring new options for a voice assistant, embedded navigation and in-vehicle applications to compatible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles in regions around the world beginning in 2021. Broad deployment across all GM vehicle brands is expected to roll out in the years following.
“We will continue to offer our own unique infotainment features that only GM can deliver, such as service recommendations, vehicle health status, in-vehicle commerce and more, with the Google applications and services complementing our offerings,” claimed Santiago Chamorro, vice president for Global Connected Customer Experience, GM.
Future GM infotainment systems will continue to be powered by Android, which enables GM to bring familiar and enhanced experiences from Google to the vehicle:
Voice Assistant: With the built-in Google Assistant, drivers can make the most of their time in the vehicle and easily get things done hands-free using just their voice. Drivers can use the Assistant to make calls or text a friend, play a favorite radio station or podcast, close the garage door (requires compatible smart home devices) or even change the temperature in the vehicle, all while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. The Assistant integration will continue to evolve over time, so that drivers in the future will be able to simply use their voice to engage with their vehicle, which could include renewing their OnStar or Connected Services plans, checking on their tire pressure, scheduling service and more.
Embedded Navigation: Google Maps2 in the vehicle is constantly up-to-date and helps drivers navigate with real-time traffic information, automatic re-routing and lane guidance. With the Assistant, drivers can use voice to navigate home, share their ETA, find the nearest gas station and EV charging stations (based on availability) or ask about a store’s hours without needing a phone.
In-Vehicle Applications: The Google Play Store lets drivers find their favorite apps and services designed specifically for in-vehicle use. Drivers can listen to the same albums, podcasts and audiobooks in the vehicle as at home and stay connected with their most important contacts on communication apps.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.