Ford (NYSE: F) CEO Jim Farley reaffirmed the company’s commitment to CarPlay and Android Auto, taking a dig at General Motors (NYSE: GM) for its recent decision to drop CarPlay support in future electric vehicles.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Farley highlighted the importance of CarPlay and Android Auto in helping drivers stay focused on the road.
This post follows GM’s new justification for dropping CarPlay in its EVs. Tim Babbitt, GM’s head of product for infotainment, this week claimed that with the embedded infotainment system, drivers will be “less likely to pick up their phones.”
READ: GM Will Soon Phase Out Apple CarPlay in its EVs in Favor of a New Google-Supported System
Babbitt justified that CarPlay and Android Auto are prone to “bad connections, poor rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections,” and these problems cause drivers to pick up their phones and take their eyes off the road. This statement suggests that driving will be safer with an integrated infotainment system just because drivers won’t be picking them up and looking at them.
He later adds that GM, however, has yet to test this claim.
Farley, on the other hand, emphasized that Ford’s collaboration with Apple and Google provides a high-quality experience for customers through SYNC 4A, emphasizing that Ford customers appreciate features that keep their “eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”
UPDATE: A spokesperson for General Motors reached out to provide the following comment. “We wanted to reach out to clarify that comments about GM’s position on phone projection were misrepresented and to reinforce our valued partnerships with Apple and Google and each company’s commitment to driver safety. GM’s embedded infotainment strategy is driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with the larger GM ecosystem and vehicles.”
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