Apple CarPlay Vs Android Auto: What's On Tesla, Ford, Rivian And GM's Dashboards

As the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) continues to rise, Tesla, Ford, Rivian, and General Motors have emerged as some of the top players in the market. But, when it comes to in-car infotainment systems, which do they prefer – Apple Inc‘s AAPL CarPlay or Alphabet Inc’s GOOG GOOGL Android Auto or something else? Let’s take a closer look at what these automakers are currently offering in their EVs:

Rivian Automotive Inc RIVN

Rivian customers have often requested the CarPlay. However, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in an interview last month that his company would rather be in charge of its own software experience than rely on third-party services.

Controlling the system allows the company to be the arbiter of the customer experience, allowing for improvements, he added.

"Giving CarPlay would have been the easiest solution for us but we believe that there is so much more that we can offer to our customers," Rivian’s Head Of Software Wassym Bensaid said in an Instagram Q&A last month.

General Motors Co GM

General Motors used to have both CarPlay and Android Auto on its vehicles. A few vehicles, as a matter of fact, still do too.

However, the automaker decided to ditch both CarPlay and Android Auto on many of its new electric models for a new GM-specific software last month.

The new software is expected to be launched on the Chevrolet Blazer electric SUV set to go on sale this summer. GM would customize the touch-screen interface with the company’s brand style and features in a bid to offer a more personalized experience, finance chief Paul Jacobson said.

Ford Motor Co F

Ford, meanwhile, has been a loyal CarPlay, and Android Auto proponent.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ford CEO Jim Farley said that content inside a car is not going to produce a lot of money. "In terms of content, we kind of lost that battle 10 years ago. So like get real with it, because you’re not going to make a ton of money on content inside the vehicle,” he said.

Tesla Inc TSLA

EV giant Tesla has its own infotainment system. It allows the user to play audio on Spotify or Apple Music or sing along to “Caraoke.” It also allows for gaming or video streaming from Netflix/ YouTube/ Hulu.

Quick Reference Table:

Automaker	Apple CarPlay	Android Auto	In-house System
Tesla	❌	❌	✅
Rivian	❌	❌	✅
GM	❌	❌	✅
Ford	✅	✅	❌

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