LAS VEGAS, NEVADA—Infotainment systems have come standard on higher-end cars for several years, but GM is now making them a standard feature on its compact economy cars as well. And it's doing it by leveraging the hardware found in the $600 smartphone you likely carry in your pocket.
As announced during the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November, GM will equip its Chevrolet Spark minicar and Chevrolet Sonic subcompact with a new MyLink infotainment system. Beyond a fair-to-middling touchscreen, AM/FM radio, and optional XM satellite radio, MyLink relies on a Bluetooth-connected smartphone to power its GPS navigation features and to play non-radio music sources.
When it comes to audio, MyLink assumes you've already ditched CDs for MP3s, and that you probably listen to some kind of streaming service. MyLink displays track and "station" information on its 7-inch display, and it includes touch controls, which are relayed to your smartphone. Audio then gets streamed using the smartphone's data connection and is played back through the MyLink system. (Right now the only supported services are Pandora and TuneIn Radio, which link with Pandora or TuneIn Radio apps you have on your smartphone.)
"This drives down the cost of a typical infotainment system," a GM spokesperson told Ars. In other words, why pay for a typical $1,000 infotainment system when most drivers already have the necessary hardware in their smartphone?
Chevy's MyLink system is also the first to feature a "Siri" button. This steering wheel-mounted button will activate Siri on a connected iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, allowing the driver limited interaction with iOS's "intelligent assistant."
While connected to MyLink, Siri can make hands-free voice calls, play songs in iTunes, read or respond to text messages, check or add appointments or reminders, or get answers to "simple" questions. Ask complex questions, the kind that Siri would usually answer by displaying information from sites like Wolfram Alpha or Wikipedia, and Siri will instead say that the car won't let the service distract you that way.
"The point is to not distract the driver," a GM spokesperson told Ars. "The system is designed to limit Siri to spoken interaction. Anything that would take your eyes off the road would be bad."
Unfortunately, MyLink can't connect to the iPhone's built-in navigation system (or to Google Maps, for that matter). GM instead is rolling out its own BringGo navigation app for iOS and Android. The smartphone app stores map data (up to 2GB) on your smartphone and uses its GPS radios, but it otherwise relies on the MyLink 7-inch touchscreen to display maps and access controls. It can also look up points of interest using Google Local Search.
Unlike Apple's or Google's mapping apps, however, there are no voice prompts or controls—and the app is a salty $50 download. On the upside, the cached mapping data means you won't be stuck when driving in an area with sketchy cell reception. GM can also improve the system easily by updating the smartphone app instead of pushing out a complicated or potentially costly firmware update to the car's own computer.
Despite the drawbacks, it's clear that GM is listening to consumers. For instance, the user interface on the Spark and Sonic is vastly improved over the often-complicated interface in the similar system built into the much more expensive Chevy Volt. GM will be rolling out a different version of MyLink to its higher-end cars, such as the Impala, later this year.
Listing image by Chris Foresman
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