General Motors' new Cadillac Escalade IQ will launch in 2024 and will be built on the company's Ultium platform. Using a huge battery pack powered by two electric motors, the vehicle will have a 55-inch screen and its front panel will be covered almost entirely by this screen.
The Escalade IQ will be one of the most modern vehicles in GM's lineup, but will not include a feature that's available for free even in the cheapest economy cars: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. GM announced in March 2023 that its future electric vehicles would not support this hugely popular feature.
The vehicle manufacturer says it made this decision because of complexity. In short, GM thinks advancing electric vehicle technology will serve better by using a native interface rather than giving control to Apple or Android systems. The automaker will develop its own Google-based Ultifi technology as the only interface between the driver, passengers and vehicle applications.
“As we expand our electric vehicles and deliver our Ultifi software platform, we can do more with in-vehicle technologies and remote updates than ever before,” said Edward Kummer, GM's Digital Officer. “All of this allows us to continually improve the customer experience we can deliver across our brands.”
GM's decision may be disappointing for some users, but the automaker believes it can offer users a better experience through its Ultifi technology.