CarPlay Helping Some GM Dealers Close Deals on New Vehicles

CarPlay made its wider debut in a range of 2016 vehicles from over a dozen U.S. carmakers this month, including General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and others, and Apple's in-dash software appears to be paying early dividends for at least one of those major auto manufacturers.

chevrolet_carplay
General Motors said it has "anecdotal evidence" that CarPlay, available in over two dozen 2016 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC models, is helping sell new vehicles to customers, according to The Wall Street Journal. A pair of GM dealers confirmed CarPlay is "helping to close the deal" on purchases.

GM officials say they have anecdotal evidence of an impact, and agree the offering has been well-received. Phil Abram, executive director of connectivity an infotainment at GM, said customers have been asking for the feature for years and the company plans to expand it to as many more models as soon as possible. […]

"We've had people coming in because they've heard about it, and once they see it, they really do like it because it mirrors the look and feel of the devices they use," said Chris Hemmersmeier, chief executive of a chain of Jerry Seiner Dealerships in Salt Lake City, Utah. "It's helping to close the deal once they see it."

GM experienced sales growth during October and November, but the spurt cannot decisively be attributed to CarPlay. At the very least, GM's early adoption of CarPlay is helping draw some customers away from automakers that have yet to commit to the software platform, including the world's best-selling automaker Toyota.

Gavin McGrath, the general manager of Pat McGrath Chevyland in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been advertising CarPlay availability and it has drawn in customers.

"It certainly has helped us," he said. "The biggest thing that it has brought to the retail front is…navigation is going to cost $900 [to] $1,000 [as an option]. Here you have Apple CarPlay, and boom your nav is there. That has already helped us close deals."

Chevrolet supports CarPlay on all vehicles with 7-inch or 8-inch MyLink screens, including the 2016 Camaro, Colorado, Corvette Z06, Corvette Stingray, Cruze, Impala, Malibu, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500HD, Silverado 3500HD, Suburban, Tahoe and Volt. Our list of 2016 U.S. CarPlay vehicles covers Buick, Cadillac and GMC models.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Popular Stories

Apple Glasses Purple Feature

Apple Smart Glasses Launching in 2026

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week. Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iPod shuffle generations

Kuo: Jony Ive's Futuristic OpenAI Device Like a Neck-Worn iPod Shuffle

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design. In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" ...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Raises iPhone Trade-In Values For Limited Time — Here's the List

Friday May 23, 2025 6:48 am PDT by
Apple has temporarily increased its iPhone trade-in values in select countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K., and China. Apple says the extra credit towards a new iPhone is available through June 18. In the U.S., the maximum estimated trade-in values increased by only $5 to $30, with the full changes in that country outlined below. ...
CarPlay Ultra Aston Martin

CarPlay Ultra Solves One of Regular CarPlay's Biggest Limitations

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:16 am PDT by
The next generation of CarPlay is finally starting to roll out, and it includes a new feature that solves one of regular CarPlay's longstanding limitations. Apple last week announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, and it offers a Radio app, allowing you to control AM and FM radio stations within CarPlay. With regular CarPlay, you must switch between CarPlay and your vehicle's built-in software ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
General Calendar Feature

Apple Calendar App Revamp Confirmed by Job Posting

Friday May 23, 2025 3:12 am PDT by
A new Apple job listing has provided more evidence that the company is working on a major overhaul of its Calendar app. A senior software engineer position for "Calendar Experience," spotted by Macworld's Filipe Espósito, explicitly states that Apple seeks candidates to join a team that will "reimagine what a modern calendar can be across Apple's platforms." Listed on April 29, the posting ...

Top Rated Comments

knownikko Avatar
123 months ago
I'm glad to finally see a critical mass of automakers relinquish control of their radio screens. So many "infotainment" systems are pure garbage. Let the computer companies make the computers, and the car companies make the cars.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
123 months ago
Just bought a 2015 Ford Fiesta ST this past summer and man I wish I'd waited until the 2016 models with CarPlay™ rolled out. Now I'm left with quite a nice car but the Ford MyFordTouch™ Sync is really lackluster...
Ford doesn't have CarPlay in 2016 vehicles. May be possible through a future software update, but they've given mixed answers about that.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zirel Avatar
123 months ago
Yep, GM, give what people want, that helps to sell cars.

Let the computer companies make the computers, and the car companies make the cars.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
knownikko Avatar
123 months ago
I believe it. I doubt I'd buy a new car without it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zirel Avatar
123 months ago
today Apple is giving away thier OS to car manufacturers...

just wonder what happens to CarPlay after Apple releases Apple Car.
It's not their OS.

Of course it's to Apple's best interests to have CarPlay in other brands.

If you buy a car with CarPlay, you'll probably keep buying iPhones.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KiwiAdventure Avatar
123 months ago
Lets see how many extra Americans get killed on the road because of using Car Play. Most are bad enough drivers without adding this to the crash rate.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)