Here's a problem I guess they're trying to solve: I have a GM truck. On this truck is a touch screen. On that touch screen is a native Google Maps app. That Google Maps app takes up the whole screen, is large and beautiful, and responds to hand gestures in the same way that your phone does (e.g., zoom, moving left right, etc.). If I want to use that native app, I have to be a subscriber to OnStar or pay for their WiFi or whatever. It's like $30/month. Alternately, I can use CarPlay and use Google Maps or Waze or whatever via that route. When I do it that way, the map is a lot smaller on the screen and isn't gesture responsive, but I can still turn on and off directions, which is the main function you need. So you get 98% of what you want with 0% of the (significant) cost. GM is like, fuck you, we built this beautiful map feature and you won't use it. And the consumer is like, fuck you worse, because why would I pay for something I can get 98% of at no additional charge.

I assume GM can do a good job designing software at this point, because they have already demonstrated that they can. But I also assume that no one will give a fuck, because who wants to pay $30/mo for something they already get for free? They already tried making consumers buy OnStar Lite (at I think $10/mo) for the ability to start your car remotely by the app, but I don't know anyone who has bought. It was great when it was free, but it's not that great. My guess is that this is destined to be a bad choice, and that if they're smart they'll just build it into the price of the car rather than charge a monthly fee. It will probably cost the same to consumers, but if it comes down to an F-150 vs. a Silverado, and you have to pay $30/mo to access Maps in the Silverado while the F-150 is free all but the most dedicated GM fans, a vanishingly small group of people, are going to go F-150. Maybe GM is betting that all the other car companies are going to follow suit eventually since literally no one is going to cede instrument clusters to CarPlay, and that's apparently the direction Apple is trying to drag the industry.