California consumers will be the first to buy the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which will have Google’s and Apple’s infotainment systems beginning this summer.
The second-gen PHEV is available for ordering in California starting Thursday, Inside EVs reports, with deliveries set for August. Oregon and the Northeast will join in late August with delivery in early October, while the rest of the nation can put their orders in beginning October 1 for deliveries starting in November. Price of admission begins at $33,995 MSRP.
When those Volts are delivered, they will be among the first in Chevrolet’s lineup to have Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay systems, Autoblog notes. Joining the Volt will this summer will be the 2016 Cruze, Camaro, Spark and Malibu equipped with MyLink and seven-inch touchscreen. Overall, 14 2016 models will have the systems across all trims.
The decision to offer both systems came down to providing consumers choice, GM’s connected-vehicle experience chief Alicia Boler-Davis said, adding “no two customers are alike, and we cannot expect a single solution that works for every driver in every situation.”
The announcement follows Hyundai’s move to introduce Android Auto to the 2015 Sonata Tuesday, with CarPlay to follow later.
[Source: Chevrolet]
Is GM offering the choice of which system will be preinstalled, or are they installing both systems? The latter would be better, as people switch phones a lot sooner than cars, plus not all drivers in a household necessarily have the same type of phone.
Not to mention resale, you end up excluding half the market.
They aren’t really different systems; they’re basically just apps that run on the QNX OS in most cars and let the phone render what it wants to on the in-car display as well as take input from touchscreen and knobs and such. So having both is no problem, and seems to be what most manufacturers are planning to do.
Maybe I’m crazy, but what consumer would order a car months before they can get one, without even a test drive, sit-in, or a walkaround?
There is no substitute for a test drive.
Besides, GM will be putting money on the new Volt’s hood by Q4.
You’re forgetting that the real “consumers” are the dealers.
Not only that, but I believe California carpool lane special privilege is no longer available for new TZEVs, so I’ll bet this will sell even less well than the older model. If somebody made a secondary 10 gallon fuel tank for the BMW i3 the Volt would truly be toast.
They had better not charge for the system, since GM claims that they, not the customer, own all the software in their vehicles.
Both systems will be on the 7″ MyLink while the 8″ will only have apple for the time being per GM
Chevrolet’s seven-inch MyLink infotainment system gives owners a smart and simple way to access both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The eight-inch version of MyLink will be compatible only with Apple CarPlay at the beginning of the 2016 model year. While development and testing is not yet complete, Android Auto compatibility may be available on the eight-inch version of MyLink later in the 2016 model year.
Damn little crampy cars. Bring the Bolt!
“Maybe I’m crazy, but what consumer would order a car months before they can get one, without even a test drive, sit-in, or a walkaround?”
I leased a Z4 that way. Big mistake!
Looks like every current Volt owner is waiting to bail and get the new one. This should make for great deals on the old Volts (not like you can’t get that already though) :)
Indeed, if someone’s work commute is within the 1st Gen Volt’s EV range, and they also have the ability to charge while they’re at work, a smoking deal on a used, off-lease Volt could be just the ticket for getting to and from work on the cheap.
I haven’t been paying attention to Volt news, so this is the first picture I have seen of the new one. At least at this angle. I have to say, that is actually very good looking.